


November's Fallen

by hailynx



Series: Challenges, Events & Exchanges [8]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Assisted Suicide, Blood, Friendship, Implied Relationships, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, OT12 - Freeform, Pre-Relationship, Profanity, Racism between species, Slurs, Suicide, Vampires, Violence, class division
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-05-01 16:16:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5212469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hailynx/pseuds/hailynx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>November is the month that Kyungsoo climbs the ladder of death to ascend the throne.</p>
            </blockquote>





	November's Fallen

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own EXO.  
> Please do not translate or repost/reupload.  
> A huge thank you to [**nachtegael**](http://archiveofourown.org/users/nachtegael) for always listening to my ideas and discussing this with me! It’s been fun being a part of [**Kyungsooperior**](http://kyungsooperior.livejournal.com/), so thank you for the opportunity!

To put an end to the unproductive Conference, Kyungsoo demands that the Board members submit a detailed report with their plans and all the risk management procedures they intend to implement. Kyungsoo makes it explicitly clear that his decision today is not approval. The Board members know that Kyungsoo’s offer is a trade off so that he can take Howon away, but they agree just to reduce their own liabilities. Kyungsoo will read through their plan and attempt to counter plan it, in case they do implement it even though his final verdict is rejection.

 

“Positively considering huh?” Jongdae repeats when they exit. Kyungsoo throws him a glare for the tone that is light and airy but easily judgmental. “That’s not a negotiation.”

 

“Howon’s safety is a priority,” Kyungsoo reasons, just as he had when he had brought the topic up with his advisors. “We’ve already discussed this.”

 

Even though Jongdae has a valid point, Kyungsoo has to present the other side of the argument. From what Kyungsoo had managed to pick up when he was allowed to go and see Howon, the fellow vampire’s state wasn’t a good one. There wasn’t a good air about the facility either. It looks like they hold _practical research_ there and knowing that, Kyungsoo couldn’t stay on the fence. Kyungsoo cannot allow Howon to be there, no matter what kind of activities the Board has claimed that Howon has been involved in.

 

Jongdae of course, bites back, “Howon is not your responsibility.”

 

“Don’t listen to him,” Lu Han is Kyungsoo’s supporter, chiding Jongdae at the sidelines. “Hush you.”

 

Kyungsoo shakes his head, because Jongdae is right. In reality, Kyungsoo had given way and consequently, shown weakness. Now that the Board knows, they will grab onto it and carve their way into the opening until Kyungsoo bleeds dry. But Kyungsoo cannot be like Jongdae. He has more responsibility than Jongdae ever will, so while Jongdae can understand the position that Kyungsoo is in, Jongdae cannot feel the same burden.

 

“How many times have I told you...” Lu Han hisses and the frown is evident in his voice.

 

Kyungsoo always listens to their banter with amusement. He’s grown used to their difference. Lu Han balances Jongdae out, chiding him so that he will eventually come to an appreciation of Kyungsoo’s choices. It’s always a pain to wait it out, but at the same time, Kyungsoo appreciates Jongdae’s backlash because it gives him a tinge of guilt that makes him feel _alive_.

 

“I’ll send you the report when I get it,” Lu Han assures, pushing Jongdae aside so that he doesn’t intervene. “Don’t worry about it.”

 

“Alright,” Kyungsoo nods.

 

Lu Han bows his head submissively and Jongdae cuts in right at that moment, “We’ll visit for the Fall Festival!”

 

“Of course,” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. As much as he’d like to keep Jongdae away, Kyungsoo will need his advisors that week. “I couldn’t keep you away even if I wanted to.”

 

“Ch’,” Jongdae scoffs, waving a dismissive hand in Kyungsoo’s face. “Alright, off you go. I don’t want to see you anymore either.”

 

Kyungsoo clicks his tongue, _what kind of advisor are you?_ but he doesn’t look back. Kyungsoo goes straight ahead to the end of the corridor where Yongsun is waiting for him with a smile. As Kyungsoo gets closer, Yongsun offers him a deep bow and then, turns towards the door and pushes it open for the both of them. Kyungsoo doesn’t dispute her behaviour but he wishes that Yongsun would try to be a little bit wearier of him. Then again, it wouldn’t fit her sweet demeanour either.

 

“They’re letting you take me there, Minister of Unification?” Kyungsoo questions sceptically. Everything he does here is scrutinised, so every word that comes out of his mouth is careful and calculated. “Odd.”

 

“Not really,” Yongsun replies hopefully. “It’s because I’m the one that you’re more likely to get along with.”

 

Kyungsoo raises a brow at that, “Not using you to try and get some information out of me?”

 

“Of course not,” Yongsun’s words come easily.

 

Kyungsoo scoffs as he hops into the backseat of the car. Yongsun gets in beside him and the driver heads off to the facility so that Kyungsoo can pick up Howon. Howon’s condition is poor and Kyungsoo doesn’t know if they can save him but it’s better than leaving him there for dead. When they arrive, Kyungsoo gets out of the car, with intentions of going inside. Kyungsoo hopes for another chance to explore the facility, but instead of allowing him entry, Howon has been taken out to meet him.

 

When Howon is ushered into the car, Yongsun frowns, sincerely apologetic. She bows ninety degrees and apologies to the both of them, on behalf of the Board. Kyungsoo accepts the apology, because Yongsun _is_ the Minister of Unification. Yongsun cannot bring Kyungsoo any harm. They have been in each other’s company long enough for Kyungsoo to know that.

 

“Are you not coming along?” Kyungsoo asks, rolling down the window, because Yongsun has remained outside.

 

“You’ll be driven directly to the airport, Lord Kyungsoo,” Yongsun peers through the window and puts a hand on the glass with a smile. “I will be picked up here, so please enjoy your trip.”

 

“Are you sure?” Kyungsoo replies.

 

Yongsun nods at that and then calls for the driver, peeling her hand away from the window once she is sure that she has the driver’s attention. Kyungsoo catches the piece of paper that slips without Yongsun’s grip and shoves it deep into his pocket. Yongsun’s voice is loud enough to drown out Kyungsoo’s shuffling. She is extremely thorough in her instructions to the driver, as if the Board really intends to treat Kyungsoo like the royalty that he is.

 

“Have a safe trip, Lord Kyungsoo,” Yongsun bids him farewell with another deep bow, “Please let us know if we’ve failed to accommodate you in any way on this trip.”

 

Yongsun is only asking to be polite. If Kyungsoo could, he’d complain about everything but that is unproductive so he just nods and leaves it at that. Once they’re on the road, everything is silent. Only when they get to the next red light does the driver stop and turn around to face Kyungsoo and Howon. The driver gives Kyungsoo a smile, weak and unsure. Kyungsoo wonders if he’s a normal human, or a Hunter in training, but instead of questioning it, Kyungsoo offers a measly smile in return. Even if he doesn’t want to, Kyungsoo needs to be civil. There is no need to cause trouble here.

 

“Would you like some music? Is it too hot? Too cold?”

 

Kyungsoo turns to look at Howon, who is worn out and pale. “Howon?”

 

“Music?” Howon offers sleepily. “I haven’t heard music in a long time.”

 

The driver at the front shifts in his seat to press the button for the radio. He turns up the volume when he can but it remains at a relatively low level so that Howon and Kyungsoo can still manage to have a conversation. Kyungsoo doesn’t have much to ask Howon in the company of others but he does make light conversation to satisfy the Board’s need for control.

 

“Should I send you back to the Sungkyu Manor?” Kyungsoo asks.

 

If they can get him home safely, his Sire may be able to save him. The particular option has Kyungsoo worried but Kyungsoo doesn’t have the power to save Howon. If Howon ‘confession’ to the Board held some truth then the game is a different one. If the rebellion the Board had mentioned is actually in the works then Howon’s Sire may abandon him because he has allegedly, given that information away.

 

Howon stiffens by his side and Kyungsoo heaves a breathless sigh. “Jeju Island it is then.”

 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo walks the night back into the deepest part of Gotjawal Forest, where his residence is hidden under a carefully crafted charm. He walks slower than usual, because Howon is worn out by the trip. Howon’s condition isn’t any better and Kyungsoo hopes that Yixing will have a fix for the problem, or a fix to delay the problem. It’s a nice walk but Kyungsoo worries that the sun will rise before they reach home because Howon isn’t in the state to withstand it.

 

Still, Kyungsoo keeps his pace slow and makes a stop specifically at the front entrance of the forest. Kyungsoo looks around and a small smile blossoms on his face as he spots the little dark blue pouch tied with a white ribbon. It has been left at the usual place by the corner of the outer most tree of the forest. Kyungsoo walks over and kneels down to pick it up. Kyungsoo examines the contents quickly and pockets the pouch securely.

 

“Lord Kyungsoo?”

 

“It’s a gift,” Kyungsoo supplies, waving for Howon to follow along.

 

“From a _wolf_?” Howon scrunches his nose together. The scent lingering on the pouch that Kyungsoo had picked up is quite strong. “You get along with them?”

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything, but advances forward into the forest. Once they enter the forest, Chanyeol slips out of his hiding place and begins dancing around. Chanyeol is loud but Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything. Chanyeol deserves the freedom, after having been cooped up inside because the city had been no place for pixies to be out and about. Besides, at this time of night there is no one in the forest to disturb.

 

“Tao is a friend!” Chanyeol chirps as he flutters next to Howon’s ears. “Kyungsoo is kind.”

 

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo warns.

 

Once he gets started, Chanyeol talks way too much and about irrelevant things to irrelevant people. This information is something that Howon does not need to know. Howon stops in his step to watch Kyungsoo from behind and Kyungsoo can feel the lingering gaze, but he continues forward slowly so that Howon does not get lost. Kyungsoo can hear Chanyeol’s chattering but decides not to waste any effort on it. The sooner they gets home, the sooner he’ll have some peace and quiet.

 

Absent minded, because Kyungsoo has new seeds to play with, he almost steps across the barrier without acknowledging much of his surroundings. It is Chanyeol that stops him before he crosses over.

 

“Kyungsoo!” Chanyeol starts to whine. Kyungsoo frowns as Chanyeol begins dancing around him frantically, making him feel dizzy. “Kyungsoo! Master!”

 

“What,” Kyungsoo deadpans, grabbing onto Chanyeol’s wings so that he stops.

 

Kyungsoo squishes Chanyeol’s wings and he squirms harder in his fight to get away. Chanyeol whines even louder in protest but Kyungsoo silences him with a sharp stare. It works for about three seconds before Chanyeol is slips away. Chanyeol dashes towards Howon and sits down on his shoulders, jerking his head to the right.

 

Chanyeol squirms vigorously and flies away, “A human!”

 

Kyungsoo scrunches his nose together and attempts not to sniff the scents around him. Groaning, Kyungsoo rushes back, pulls Howon by the shoulder and pushes him across the barrier. As expected, Howon holds on viciously, eyes dark and breath heavy, but Kyungsoo flings him off. Kyungsoo doesn’t doubt for a second that Howon is _hungry_ but none of that is happening under Kyungsoo’s supervision. Kyungsoo he had been careless and he’s annoyed at himself for it.

 

“We’re going,” Kyungsoo snaps at Chanyeol. “It’s not my concern.”

 

Kyungsoo had smelt the human first and was going to ignore it but Chanyeol just had to bring it up. Kyungsoo has learnt that there’s nothing good about taking humans home, so he has made it a policy not to. The only exceptions were made a long time ago. Once for Jongin because of Baekhyun and the second time for Yixing, because of Minseok. The first should have taught him a lesson, but Minseok is a friend that Kyungsoo couldn’t ignore. Kyungsoo had sworn that it wouldn’t happen again but the situation presents itself.

 

“He’s hurt!” Chanyeol whines on his way back around Kyungsoo’s head. “You’ve never abandoned anyone before!”

 

“A search squad will come for him in the morning,” Kyungsoo replies, trying his best to ignore the strong stench of blood oozing out of the human’s body. “He’s probably already reported missing.”

 

Kyungsoo only gets so far before Chanyeol manages to guilt trip him, repeating again and again, how Kyungsoo has never left anyone behind. That’s not even remotely the same, would be Kyungsoo’s argument but he cannot bring himself to use it. Kyungsoo feels like he has done pretty well ignoring it but now that he has stopped, he realises that his footsteps had been slow and minimal.

 

“Fine,” he mumbles, turning back.

 

Out of spite, Kyungsoo mumbles, _you’re in charge of his care_ , but Kyungsoo knows very well that Minseok and Yixing will tend to the job better than Chanyeol can. Chanyeol cheers despite this and Kyungsoo is already regretting it but his feet take him forward. Kyungsoo only manages to get a few steps closer to the limp body before he backs away. Aside from the smell of blood, the scent of hawthorn is everywhere. Kyungsoo takes a close look at the body though and winces when he feels the blood soaking onto his pants and clinging to the sole of his shoes. There is a lot blood—enough to make Kyungsoo’s throat constrict—but more importantly, he doesn’t think that the human will make it through the night. Even if a search squad were to come by morning, there’s no way this boy would make it.

 

“Stay,” Kyungsoo instructs Chanyeol, “I’ll go get Yixing.”

 

“Yes!” Chanyeol accepts cheerily and flutters over to the human. “You can count on me Master!”

 

Kyungsoo grimaces but makes a quick trip back to his cottage. Stepping over the barrier, Kyungsoo comes face-to-face with a confused Howon, who is looking around for him. Kyungsoo clears his throat to make his presence known and then continues walking, beckoning for Howon to follow. Kyungsoo receives an immediate welcome upon his return but Minseok frowns when he cannot find Chanyeol announcing his arrival. Kyungsoo heaves a sigh at that but doesn’t feel the need to explain further.

 

“Yixing,” Kyungsoo places a hand on Yixing’s shoulder and squeezes, “Go and find Chanyeol. He’s in the forest. You’ll need to bring back the body.”

 

“Chanyeol’s body?!” Yixing squeaks.

 

Kyungsoo sighs and strides further into his home. He needs a shower to get rid of the scent that clings to his clothes and skin. “I’m going to change.”

 

“Should I go too?” Minseok frowns, following Kyungsoo further inside.

 

“No,” Kyungsoo shakes his head. “I need you to tend to Howon.”

 

“Howon?” Minseok blinks, confused. “From Sungkyu Manor?”

 

“I left him outside,” Kyungsoo says through gritted teeth. “He needs medical attention.”

 

Worried, Minseok bows and rushes back down the steps towards the door. Kyungsoo continues up the stairs and into his room. He unbuttons the dress shirt and loosens his tie and then drops a dozen blood pills down his throat. Then Kyungsoo hops into the bath and runs a hot shower to rid himself of the lingering smell of blood. Of course, it’s never a clean bath. Fifteen minutes later, Kyungsoo is throwing up all the contents in his stomach. Some pills turn up unprocessed and then wash away with the water, tinted red. Kyungsoo hates his _royal_ body. It’s always rejecting and rejecting unless he gets a substantial amount of real human blood.

 

The moment that Kyungsoo is clothed, he rushes out of the bathroom down to the basement blood bank where he keeps his emergency supply of blood. Kyungsoo pulls one of the bottles of the rotating shelves. Kyungsoo uncaps it and sculls the bottle dry—how long has it been since he’s last tasted _real_ blood? Yixing’s blood, although enticing, is one that Kyungsoo will not touch. Other than that, he’s not picky about his choices.

 

Kyungsoo takes a quick check of his supply and is glad to see that the numbers are still high. Kyungsoo always has a supply, but he cannot afford to be taking from it all the time. Kyungsoo throws out the bottle and makes a quick exit- He cannot stay in there. Luckily, when Kyungsoo returns upstairs, Yixing is back and tidy in his appearance—not a trace of blood on him.

 

“You scared me Kyungsoo,” Yixing whines.

 

“Sorry,” Kyungsoo smiles sheepishly—they don’t have enough drama on Jeju, so a bit of fun should spice things up, especially for Yixing and Minseok who have nothing to do but tend to Kyungsoo every second every day. “Is everything okay?”

 

“Yes,” Yixing nods. “Of course.”

 

“Good,” Kyungsoo hums, while thinking about how he should make the next week hell for Chanyeol. “Did he have any identification him?”

 

“A tag,” Yixing nods. He holds up the old style military dog tag that has a name on it. “It identifies him as a Hunter and his name is Oh Sehun.”

 

Kyungsoo grabs onto it, “Thanks.”

 

Kyungsoo returns to his library at once and picks up the phone. It’s not too late so he hopes that he doesn’t interrupt Jongdae and Lu Han in anything. Kyungsoo’s been there and it’s not exactly nice so he really hopes that they are taking his request seriously and are hard at work instead of doing something else. Kyungsoo heaves a sigh and then dials the number, waiting as it rings. When it gets to the fourth, Kyungsoo tells himself that he should hang up because they’re clearly busy, but before he can put the phone down, there’s a breathy reply.

 

_“Kyungsoo…! We’re… kind of—”_

 

Kyungsoo slaps himself, “I’ll call you back. Bye.”

 

This time, Kyungsoo hangs up quickly so that he doesn’t hear anything else. They call back an hour later and Jongdae is all cheer as he speaks.

 

_“My Lord!”_

 

“How many times have I told you not to pick up the phone if you’re busy?” Kyungsoo snaps as soon as he picks up.

 

Jongdae has the audacity to laugh, _“But your reaction is so fun!”_

 

“Go away,” Kyungsoo mutters. “Where’s Lu Han?”

 

_“I’m here,”_ Lu Han admits and he sounds _embarrassed_. Kyungsoo can’t believe it. They’re both beyond embarrassing. _“What’s up?”_

 

“Oh Sehun,” Kyungsoo says, reading off the dog tag, “He’s under _Machine_. Can you check that out for me?”

 

There’s a moment of silence before Kyungsoo hears one of them grabbing some paper and the other, passing a pen. There are a few scratches for the request and Kyungsoo sighs in relief. As usual, they do their work when it’s needed. Kyungsoo can appreciate that—

 

_“Oh!”_ Jongdae pipes up playfully, _“Did you pick up a stray My—”_

 

Kyungsoo hangs up the phone. He can’t trust Jongdae with anything… well, minus his life. If it came down to his life, Jongdae and Lu Han are the only ones outside of home that Kyungsoo will trust. Kyungsoo hates that he cannot even deny the fact that Jongdae and Lu Han are special. They are the ones that he holds his trust in even though they have been sent to him directly from his father. They have developed an easy-going bond that’s not bound by duty. That’s why Jongdae and Lu Han give Kyungsoo shit and gets away with it.

 

Kyungsoo leaves the dog tag on the table and then makes his way back into the hallway. Now that he’s going to get the information that he needs, he’ll need to go and check on the state of the _stray_ has Jongdae calls it. The boy named Sehun doesn’t have an owner and has been abandoned in Gotjawal Forest all alone. Despite what Kyungsoo may say, Jongdae’s description is spot on. And as always, Jongdae likes to use words that are directly applicable to the behaviour that Kyungsoo has engaged in the past.

 

Minseok greets him on his way out, a wooden box concealed in his hands, “I’ve collected his hunting weapons. There’s nothing that he can use to harm you, Master.”

 

Kyungsoo nods. Minseok is always thorough. If that is the case then Kyungsoo doesn’t need to go and do it personally. It’s nice to be home, Kyungsoo supposes because Minseok is always there to take care of him. Remembering the package from Zitao that is tucked away in his pockets, Kyungsoo decides on a change of plan. Kyungsoo brings a smile to his face and begins descending the stairs to find his garden.

 

“Will they be alright?” Kyungsoo asks.

 

There are a whole bunch of things he wants to ask Sehun when the boy wakes. Kyungsoo is kind of curious, wondering if this is another one of the Board’s ploy to get rid of him. Clearly, Jongin hadn’t worked out, but Kyungsoo will be wary of Sehun. If Sehun is a card that the Board is playing, Kyungsoo is curious to see how differently they’ve trained him from Jongin to make sure that the job is completed this time around.

 

“Sehun will be fine,” Minseok nods, following behind Kyungsoo. “Yixing is tending to him. He’ll probably wake up once his condition stabilises.”

 

“And Howon?”

 

“I’ve fed him,” Minseok supplies. “We’ll have to see if he can pull through. May I ask why you didn’t send him back to Sungkyu manor?”

 

“Later,” Kyungsoo waves dismissively. “I’ll be in the garden then.”

 

Minseok lowers his head as Kyungsoo disappears down the stairs. Minseok hopes that their efforts at keeping the garden in top condition are satisfactory. Kyungsoo may not say anything, but Minseok still wishes to keep his Master as happy as he can be.

 

 

 

 

 

Luckily for Kyungsoo, Howon responds well to being fed and receiving treatment. It seems that his time hasn’t come yet but Kyungsoo does worry for the end result if Howon loses the favour of his Sire. Kyungsoo had expected the worst to come so when things turned around, his relief was much bigger than usual. As much as Kyungsoo hates to do this as soon as Howon recovers, he knows that he has to get the correct information out of Howon while he’s still feeling indebted. Kyungsoo doesn’t have that much time anyway. Between now and the Fall Festival in November Kyungsoo needs to plan a counterattack.

 

“Lord Kyungsoo.”

 

Kyungsoo motions for Howon to sit on the seat that is open on Minseok’s left. Kyungsoo has thought about how he should breach the topic, but there was nothing set in stone. Kyungsoo doesn’t know Howon well enough to find an angle that will get him the information he wants with the least amount of trouble. So Kyungsoo is relieved when Howon offers it himself.

 

“I know what you want to ask,” Howon starts. “I’ve thought about it too.”

 

Kyungsoo nods along, waiting for Howon to continue. If Howon is going to offer the information, then Kyungsoo won’t push it. It might be better to give Howon some space here, so that he can choose the information that he is willing to offer.

 

“Yongsun,” Howon starts and he sounds like he’s trying to bargain. Kyungsoo raises a brow. “She’s a half, isn’t she?”

 

It’s hard for humans to tell, but Kyungsoo knows that he couldn’t have kept it from the eyes of a vampire. Kyungsoo nods in acknowledgement of Howon’s observation and smiles, a little dimly with his eyes sharpened. He will not allow anything to happen to Yongsun and if Howon intends to misuse that information then Kyungsoo will end him here and now.

 

“She’s the bridge between them and us,” Kyungsoo explains, “There’s no way our own would react well, if she weren’t the one bridging the gap every time something happened.”

 

“She’s one of us,” Howon scoffs, “How are you sure she’ll be safe, amongst them?”

 

There are many reasons on which Kyungsoo can assume that Yongsun will be safe. As a half-blooded vampire, Yongsun doesn’t desire blood like all other vampires. She’s much stronger than the average Noble vampire as well. There’s no way that the Board would be able to find out because all they know is how to lure vampires out with the treat of blood. Yongsun is not one to fall victim to that kind of trickery.

 

“Lu Han and Jongdae are there for a reason,” Minseok says and he’s equally threatening. “Currently, none of the Board members know it so make sure you don’t let it get out.”

 

Howon glares at Minseok with fervour, but eventually backs down. Minseok is referring to Howon’s initial weakness in the face of torture. Kyungsoo understands that it’s difficult, but they cannot afford to give Howon any leeway if he intends to use this information against them. Howon’s loyalty doesn’t rest with Kyungsoo as Royalty and it may not be with Sungkyu Manor either, so Kyungsoo has to be extra careful about it.

 

“That was a good try,” Kyungsoo smiles because that was a good attempt at trying to hold onto a weakness, but the matter with Yongsun is already settled. “Let’s start again.”

 

The words make Howon squirm and Kyungsoo’s lips twist into a smirk. Howon must have realised it by now, but there’s no escape from Kyungsoo’s manor. Although he won’t be hurt, it must not be comfortable either, being in the presence of Royalty when all Howon has ever known is Nobles. Kyungsoo knows that he can take advantage of this.

 

“Tell me,” Kyungsoo prompts, crossing his legs casually. “What have you thought about?”

 

Howon swallows, probably rethinking his choice of Jeju instead of the home of his Sire. “I told… the Board about the strange behaviours of the rogue vampires over the last year.”

 

Kyungsoo raises a brow. Rather than strange, rogue vampires are always creating a mess that needs to be cleaned up by the Nobles at the command of those within the royal family. Rogue vampires are those that have been turned and abandoned by their Sire. They are the class that crave blood the most and it’s only natural that they run rampage without it. That means that this piece of information that the Board has is false—but to what extent? There has to be some truth behind it, because if all of the information Howon provided had been fabricated, it would have been easy to tell.

 

“But what’s really happening?” Minseok presses.

 

Howon licks his lips and darts his eyes around the room. He hunches further into himself and Kyungsoo observes this closely. It’s something he’s often seen as a child when his father was the one doing an interrogation. Kyungsoo had always been told that the Resistance group had eyes and ears everywhere. Howon’s behaviour isn’t anything new and Kyungsoo knows that represents his _fear_. He wants to tell Howon not to worry because there are no outsiders here, but it seems kind of pointless. This fear that Howon has about the Resistance cannot be cured with Kyungsoo’s assurance.

 

“Sungkyu Manor as joined the Resistance,” Kyungsoo cuts straight to the point. “And they have a plan.”

 

Howon nods, but Kyungsoo knows that rather than a plan, the Board might be onto something. They had suggested that vampires are going on a killing-spree in the form of assisted suicides by contract. Kyungsoo had seen how it was possible, but there had been no grounds for it. The Board has very little knowledge of the Resistance, because Kyungsoo’s father had always kept them in check and because, they didn’t actually constitute much of a threat. If the Resistance has the Sungkyu Manor behind them, then other Noble families might be in the loop. That stance changes everything and it’s likely, from the way that Howon is acting, the Resistance now proposes a threat.

 

“Is there anything else you’d like to offer?”

 

Howon fidgets in debate and then finally opens his mouth. “I’ve seen Bae Joohyun and Yang Yeoseob come and go.”

 

They are all familiar names and Kyungsoo had seen their names recently, on envelopes sent to request an audience with Kyungsoo during the Fall Festival. Kyungsoo knows them all—had been forced them memorise them from a young age and then, had the information reinforced when they lost Seungsoo. Joohyun and Yeoseob, as Howon has named, are powerful vampries in their own right but they are a part of even more powerful vampire households.

 

“And their objective?” Kyungsoo questions.

 

Kyungsoo knows what the Resistance’s main objective is. They have always wanted to overthrow the Hierarchal System, but without careful planning it doesn’t work that way. Kyungsoo’s father had always tried to compromise, but those who are with the Resistance have always wanted to break free from the confines of the Peace Treaty. To keep the powers balanced so that the Resistance doesn’t run wild, they have kept the both the Peace Treaty and the Hierarchal System.

 

Howon shakes his head, “I suspected that it would be the usual…”

 

Kyungsoo thinks so too, but if they had suddenly gotten so many vampires on their side, it means that the Resistance has some substantial plan in place. Kyungsoo throws Minseok a glance and he nods in understanding—he will get in touch with their contacts to start an investigation. Kyungsoo then turns back to Howon and flashes a weak smile. If Howon doesn’t have the information, there’s no point in pushing it.

 

“You are free to stay,” Kyungsoo says, because as the Crown Prince, he actually has a duty to protect Howon. “Or you may leave. All you have to do is let Minseok know.”

 

 

 

 

 

Sehun stirs awake and then stops moving about because the pain in his abdomen is severe. He opens his eyes slowly and reaches for his stomach and is glad that the wound is wrapped tight so that there is no excess bleeding. Sehun’s body feels heavy and he realises it is because there is a thick layer of blanketing on top of him. Sehun knows immediately that he has been transported. He had blacked out in the forest and not a bed. Whoever it was that moved him, looks to have kind intentions if Sehun’s bandages are anything to go by. But the world is dangerous and sly, so he cannot be too careful.

 

Sehun shuffles out of his bed and is immediately on guard. His weapons are missing and so is the charm that had been given to him by Junmyeon. Sehun’s wrist feels bare without the weight and scent of hawthorn but even more than that, his fingers have no weapon to grip to and he is suddenly apprehensive. Still, Yifan had told him to remain calm on the outside even if he cannot maintain it on the inside. There are enemies that will fall for outer confidence, but if Sehun is correct in his assumption, that means nothing in this place.

 

“Hey you,” a voice pokes at him. “You’re not supposed to be out and about yet.”

 

Sehun jumps around immediately and he stands ready to fight despite the pain in his abdomen. Sehun has been trained that way and now, he’s really glad for it. Sehun can feel all the resistance in his bones, despite everything else blurring up. Being able to display his strength and determination should be enough to buy him some extra time.

 

“You—”

 

The man smiles at him and there’s a prominent dimple punctured on his right cheek. The stranger has his hands held up in the air to show that he means no harm at all. Logically, there can be no harm done either. The air about the stranger in front of Sehun is totally calm and pleasant. Sehun doesn’t feel any malice or tension.

 

“You’re human?”

 

“Yes,” he nods with that nice and polite smile that’s starting to become extremely pleasant to look at. “I’m Yixing. You’re safe here, Sehun.”

 

Sehun’s eyes blow wide and his hands fly up to search for the necklace around his neck. He grapples for it, but it’s not where it’s supposed to be and Sehun narrows his eyes again. Yixing is still smiling but now, he’s holding out the necklace for Sehun to take. Sehun stares at it and Yixing prompts him forward gently. Carefully, Sehun reaches out for it and when his hand comes in contact with Yixing’s, it’s warm enough to assure him that Yixing is indeed, human. He smelt like a vampire but there wasn’t a vibe. Now, Sehun is sure.

 

“Okay?” Yixing asks, lifting his hands into the air, in the surrender posture once Sehun has the necklace back in his hands. “No harm done.”

 

Sehun almost scoffs, because Yixing is treating him like a kitten, “Are you a donor?”

 

“No,” Yixing shakes his head—hands still up in the air because Sehun remains guarded. “I just work here.”

 

“For a _vampire_?” Sehun scoffs but he’s almost amused. “The vampire pays you a salary?”

 

“Yes…” Yixing smiles again, a little awkwardly, as if Sehun’s question had been weird. “Well, I’m indebted.”

 

Sehun raises a brow. He should probably warn Yixing of what he’s getting himself into, but Yixing probably already knows and possibly, better than Sehun would. Vampires come in all different forms and with different personalities. There’s no way that Yixing wouldn’t know. From the way that he’s behaving, Sehun can conclude that Yixing has made an informed and seemingly, safe choice.

 

“Come…?” Yixing says, prompting Sehun with a little wave. “I think we need to change your bandages.”

 

Sehun subconsciously touches his stomach and winces. Sehun is still in a lot of pain but he throws Yixing a pointed look for it. Sehun has to be careful. Sehun would not hurt a human, but if the human has turned against him in favour of the vampire then that’s another story. Junmyeon definitely wouldn’t approve of his behaviour but Yifan would probably back him up if it was a life or death situation.

 

“Your charm and knife,” Yixing starts gently. “They’re safe. We’ll return them to you when you leave.”

 

“Can’t have me harming your vampire huh?”

 

“Well… Kyungsoo is… important,” Yixing’s smile fades a little. “Please come with me. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make this anymore difficult for me.”

 

Sehun follows reluctantly but he makes sure to store all the information that he’s getting. The vampire is called Kyungsoo and there is information that Yixing isn’t willing to divulge. Sehun will find out if he has the chance, but for now, his surroundings are more important. Sehun needs to find a way out in case of an emergency.

 

Yixing leads him right back to the bedroom that he was using before and sits him down on the bed. He makes Sehun peel the layer of clothing off so that he can tear the bandages and replace them with new ones. As Yixing works, Sehun watches him carefully. It makes Yixing laugh as he tapes up the ends and then for good measure, tap lightly against Sehun’s wounds.

 

“You must be hungry,” Yixing grins, “Should I bring the food to you?”

 

“I’ll come down,” Sehun answers too quickly.

 

Yixing laughs again but agrees. “Okay, stay put for a bit. I’ll come back up to show you the way down.”

 

Sehun agrees to stay put but he paces around his room. Taking the chance, Sehun inspects everything that he can get his hands on in the time that he takes for Yixing to come back. It feels like forever, but that’s probably because Sehun doesn’t have much to do. The view from the window doesn’t really help. All Sehun can see is the endless trees of the forest. The depth looks to be deep so Sehun is concerned with how far in he is.

 

“Sehun?”

 

“I’m coming,” Sehun answers promptly and politely—the way he would at Junmyeon’s call because Yixing’s tone had been just as kind. When he realises it, Sehun clicks his tongue, annoyed at himself for his reflexive behaviour. “Ah, damn it.”

 

“What’s wrong?” Yixing smiles again as he opens the door.

 

“Nothing,” Sehun replies, slinking out the door and then falling behind Yixing’s footsteps. “I can leave if it’s day, so I’d like you to return my stuff.”

 

“Of course,” Yixing laughs. “If that’s what you’d like to do…”

 

Sehun raises a brow behind Yixing’s back but doesn’t bring up an argument. If Yixing can agree so easily, then something is up. Yixing is taking this matter too lightly. Sehun is sure that they would rather keep him here then let him go. Sehun could bring back reinforcement and annihilate everyone in the mansion. Yixing seems confident that Sehun will not be able to do it and that puts Sehun back on edge.

 

“What time is it?” Sehun asks.

 

“A little past noon,” Yixing supplies, “So this is lunch.”

 

No chance to see the Master of this mansion then, Sehun concludes. It’s definitely a mansion from what Sehun can see. They’ve walked down an endless hall before they come to the main body of the house which breaks further into three different sections. There’s a dance hall spilt in the middle, and a lower level, which probably leads to the main entrance. On each side of the Ballroom, is a hall of its own, the East Wing, which sits on the opposite side of the West Wing that Sehun had come from. Sehun takes a moment to memorise the general outline so he can work with it.

 

Yixing leads him through the centre and pass the Ballroom into the dining room. Curiously, Sehun looks at the large Ballroom, halting his feet as he takes it all in. It’s probably the biggest room but more than that, there are so many intricate designs around, on the floor, above the ceiling and little details on the lamps at the corners of the room. Sehun takes a step closer to study it only to be tugged back gently by Yixing’s hand on his sleeve.

 

“You don’t want to do that,” Yixing says gently, still tugging Sehun away from the main dance floor.

 

Sehun looks back, but Yixing is walking forward while dragging him along, “Huh?”

 

“Don’t lose sight of me,” Yixing warns softly, “If you get lost, it’ll be troublesome.”

 

Sehun wants to ask if there is something dangerous in the Ballroom, but he agrees and follows along. No matter how he looks at it, he is in enemy territory. Until Sehun figures out exactly where he stands, he will play by the rules. It will probably guarantee him some level of safety. Besides, Sehun isn’t close enough for Yixing to start telling Sehun things about his precious vampire. Instead, Sehun looks around for anything that can prove to be useful. However, the Ballroom is empty and the dining room is filled with only the necessities. In the middle of the room is one long table with some chairs and a silky cloth decorated by a vase of the flowers.

 

Yixing pushes Sehun into the closest end and pushes his chair in too, like Sehun has been invited to dine in a five star restaurant. Everything else follows as Sehun expects. The dishes are served one by one and all by Yixing who crosses from the kitchen and into the dining room. When the table set up is complete, Yixing sits by Sehun and enjoys his meal too. When they are finished, Yixing is also the one cleaning up. At the end, Sehun gets up and follows, telling Yixing that he wants to help.

 

“Are you the only servant in this mansion?” Sehun asks casually.

 

“No,” Yixing shakes his head. “We also have Minseok and Chanyeol.”

 

“They don’t need to have lunch?” Sehun replies, hoping that the question is innocent.

 

“Minseok, no.” Yixing chuckles into his palm, “Chanyeol… is probably snacking at the moment.”

 

That doesn’t give Sehun much to go on but Minseok and Chanyeol are people that he will have to be weary of at the moment. For his own safety, Sehun concludes that he and Yixing are the only humans in this place. It will keep him on high alert.

 

“I’ll be happy to return your items,” Yixing offers, after they clean up.

 

“Thanks,” Sehun smiles.

 

So that’s how Sehun finds himself standing by and waiting for Yixing to return his charm and his weapon. He looks around himself and when Yixing comes back with the items, he’s glad to see that his possessions haven’t been tampered with. Once Sehun has the items back in hand, Yixing seems more cautious, but he shows Sehun towards the door with a smile.

 

“It was nice having lunch with you, Sehun,” Yixing says and there’s something odd about his tone. “Let’s do this again.”

 

Sehun nods anyway and says his thanks and goodbyes with a little bow and then steps outside the door. The door closes with a creak and now, Sehun notices that the outer appearance of the mansion is that of a small cottage. The inside looked way too big for a cottage of this size, but that means that someone is concealing the real appearance of the house. Sehun cannot quite put the image together. Inside, it had been spacious—it seemed way too big to just be holding the three people that Yixing had mentioned.

 

However, the sun is about to set and Sehun has no time so he puts it out of mind and begins planning for his exit. He remembers coming in, but coming out might be a difficult task. Where the hell did the vampire that tried to kill him go anyway? Sehun looks around himself but then moves on forward. He walks at a fast pace, trying hard to get away from what seems to be the centre of the forest but feels like he’s getting nowhere.

 

When Sehun spins on the spot to look around himself, he finds that the image of the cottage is still there. It’s a little distant now, but if he can see it, it means that he hasn’t gone far—if he has managed to go anywhere at all actually. Sehun groans, but walks towards the nearest tree, pulls out his hawthorn knife and digs a mark into the trunk of the tree to mark his starting point. Sehun hopes that he’s wrong as he sets off. After a long while, he sighs and finds himself back where he started, the mark he usually leaves for his companions of _Machine_ looking right back at him. Behind him, the cottage is still where it was before and Sehun can say with certainty now that he’s walked around in circles at least ten times. The sun is down and there’s nowhere else to go but that cottage.

 

Yixing had _meant_ every word that he said. Annoyed with himself, Sehun roughly scrapes off the mark of _Machine_ and then turns around to walk the other way. He hopes that he’ll find a way back to the cottage. It takes him a few hours, but Sehun eventually manages to find his way back onto the track that takes him back to the cottage. Sehun wants to laugh to himself, because Yixing probably already knew that he wouldn’t get anywhere, but he doesn’t give in to that. Sehun should have asked and saved himself the trouble. Sehun could have also saved himself the embarrassment of going back, because there’s nowhere he can go. If Sehun can sleep in a bed, he’d choose that over a cold bed of leaves and grass.

 

When Sehun finally manages to find his way back, Yixing is at the front door to greet him. The dimple punctured in his cheek is even more prominent in the moonlight. Sehun swears to himself that he will be wary of that innocent smile that Yixing continues to show him.

 

“Back so soon?” Yixing grins and holds his hands out for Sehun to hand over his charm and knife. “Are you hungry? Or are you missing my company?”

 

Sehun frowns, but concedes because his stomach decides to growl loudly, “Both.”

 

 

 

 

 

“Hm?” Kyungsoo hums thoughtfully when he senses the extra presence. “The hunter is back?”

 

Kyungsoo had thought that they’d been back down to three. Howon had signed a pledge to hold his silence in regards to the information Kyungsoo had given him. Then Howon gone off on his own, saying that he wanted to spend some time alone. Sehun had gone too, but it seems that they have his company again. It’s rare, for a hunter to stay with a vampire so Kyungsoo keeps his guard up.

 

“Yes,” Minseok supplies. “It was an unsuccessful attempt.”

 

Kyungsoo nods without comment. Minseok sets down a glass filled with blood and then excuses himself from the library. Kyungsoo picks up the files of paper that his father had slowly passed onto him and reads through them again. Most of them are there to describe the roles of each member of the Board. To help Kyungsoo adapt faster, Lu Han and Jongdae have provided information on the new ministers that have replaced the old.

 

Due to the state of emergency Kyungsoo had rushed out without much preparation. He hadn’t been given the chance to study up on his opponents, but Kyungsoo will make sure that he’s apt for it at the next encounter. Reading it over now, Kyungsoo thinks that he should have taken out some time to consult with Minister of Unification, Yongsun to further his understanding of their position.

 

Sighing because it’s something that he cannot fix now, Kyungsoo pulls out a different set of documents. At hand, the Fall Festival is in need of his attention. It’s the most important one for Kyungsoo, even though his instinct is telling him to _run_. Kyungsoo knows that if he goes through with this century’s Fall Festival, then there’s no backing out, but Kyungsoo forces himself to sit here and plan through it. There’s no one else but Kyungsoo who can do it.

 

Kyungsoo flips open the folder and starts with the budget list. He scans through it, looks at the list of donations and then begins assigning the money in a similar process that had been taken for the fall Festival a century ago. He will ask Minseok to look over it, so Kyungsoo manages the budget briefly and then moves on to the job allocation of the stands and stalls.

 

It irritates him a little that he will have to dispel the barrier to make the space available for the Fall Festival, but tradition is tradition. It’s his fault for choosing Gotjawal and then making it a home. It will be a lot of trouble because Kyungsoo will need to put a charm over the whole forest, to make sure that no humans comes tumbling in that week. It’s not a kind week for humans or vampires. However, in order to keep the Peace Treaty on foot, Kyungsoo needs to take on his responsibilities as Royalty.

 

Next, Kyungsoo goes through pile of letters that are requesting an attendance to the Fall Festival. The letters almost seem endless and Kyungsoo feels drained just looking at it. He remembers his father looking through them too, during his time and frowning deeply. Kyungsoo wishes that they could at least, _abolish_ the tradition of having Favour in the Sire. If they manage to get rid of it, Kyungsoo’s list of troubles will lessen. However, it’s an old practice that a lot of Royal and Noble vampires—those with power—are unwilling to let go of.

 

Kyungsoo remembers thinking that he’d never get caught up in a relationship that utilises the Favour in the Sire, but he had been young and naïve. It’s only been a century, but Kyungsoo already feels the burden of being in such a relationship with Jongin. Kyungsoo has a lot of _regrets_ about it, but he doesn’t have it in him to change it. A century ago, he sired Kim Jongin and as expected, Jongin has requested an audience with Kyungsoo this year. Jongin has done nothing to lose Kyungsoo’s favour and has come in request for Kyungsoo’s blood—even a drop of it will do—to sustain his undead life for another century.

 

That is the unfortunate fate of those that are turned. They gain ‘eternity’ for a century before they have to come crawling back to their Sire to ask for their blood in order to continue their survival. Vampires that lose favour often go rogue and never make it to the Fall Festival. But, the Fall Festival is designed specifically for them. It conveys both a sending and a message. Many vampires will fall this year, to reiterate the position of power that the Royals and Nobles have but Kyungsoo wishes that he didn’t have to be in the middle of it.

 

Nothing about the Fall Festival is positive or comforting but this time around, Kyungsoo has the Board on his case. Aside from the issue that Howon had brought up, the Board is taking advantage of the fact that Kyungsoo will be new to the throne and possibly, easy to manipulate. Kyungsoo needs to show him that that’s not the case. It’s annoying to think about—annoying enough to make Kyungsoo consider burying himself under the bed of white roses in his garden.

 

And in that moment of distraction, it is Minseok that appears to set him back on track. Kyungsoo thinks that Minseok has a knack for that—or maybe he just senses when Kyungsoo becomes restless. Just hearing Minseok’s nearing footsteps makes Kyungsoo straighten in his seat.

 

“Master,” Minseok says, knocking on the door and then pushing it open, without waiting for an answer because Kyungsoo rarely says no. “May I enter?”

 

Kyungsoo makes a show of looking up from his desk—still trying hard not to be caught slacking off. Minseok doesn’t pick on it and smiles at him, sympathetically. Centuries ago Kyungsoo had chosen Minseok over Byulyi, because Minseok had always appeared stern. Byulyi would not have been able do the job well because she treated Kyungsoo like a friend and was always insisting that Kyungsoo go out to play. It didn’t help his discipline so Minseok had been his pick for a valet, but it seems, Minseok softens ever so often as the years go by. Now, Kyungsoo has an feeling that if Kyungsoo had ever entertained the thought of having Byulyi instead, Minseok would have intervened, because his love for his little sister is that great.

 

Minseok hands over more letters, “This is from Jinki, this one from Byulyi and the other one from Taeyeon.”

 

“Thanks,” Kyungsoo takes them with a nod and passes back the list of budget, “Can you check these for me?”

 

“Of course,” Minseok nods, hugging the documents close to his chest. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

 

“No,” Kyungsoo shakes his head, “Thanks, Minseok hyung.”

 

 

 

 

 

Because Sehun gets thirsty in the middle of the night, he takes a risk and ventures out of his room. Yixing had said that it’s okay but Sehun hadn’t actually taken it up before. Sehun had thought about enduring it in case he ran into a vampire that was beyond his ability to deal with. However, Sehun cannot stop the coughing fit so he slips out of bed and goes out of his room to follow the simple path that Yixing has shown him. Sehun goes right through the Ballroom without stopping because he had promised that he would obey the rules.

 

Carefully, Sehun pushes the door to the kitchen open and reaches his hands out for the light switch. He receives a huge fright when he turns on the light and there’s a pixie there, munching on cookies like there’s no tomorrow. It’s funny because the sound of the pixie nibbling had been scary in the dark but once the light goes on, Sehun’s shock slowly disappears and his disbelief nullifies his fear.

 

“Eek!”

 

“I’m not—”

 

“Eh! You’re that human,” the pixie exclaims, turning around with cookie crumbles stuck on his cheeks. “The one that Kyungsoo saved!”

 

“Yes,” Sehun agrees, stating the obvious with a roll of his eyes. “That I am.”

 

“I’m Chanyeol!” Chanyeol exclaims, pointing to himself, “I noticed you in the forest!”

 

_Chanyeol._ Yixing had mentioned a Chanyeol and Sehun had assumed that he was another companion, different from Minseok… less controlled. From the way that Yixing had described it, Sehun thought that Chanyeol was in need of a feeding _all_ the time, but this isn’t much off the charts. Just seeing the nearly empty jar of cookies reiterates Yixing’s words. Chanyeol’s special ability must be snacking.

 

“I see,” Sehun says, walking over casually, grabbing a cup and a cookie.

 

Chanyeol lets him, smiling blindingly as he flutters to the height of Sehun’s light of sight. Chanyeol is really small but his presence is actually quite big. Curious about what kind of information Chanyeol holds, Sehun flashes a small smile and holds the cookie towards Chanyeol’s mouth, encouraging him to eat. It seems to make Chanyeol happy as he nibbles on it, wings fluttering rapidly. 

 

“It’s been a while since Kyungsoo’s taken a human in,” Chanyeol says cheerily around his cookie. “I knew you’d be nice!”

 

“Hm?” Sehun hums, pleasantly. “Is that so?”

 

“Yes,” Chanyeol nods after a bite. “It’s been almost a century since Jongin.”

 

Sehun stalls his expression and smiles pleasantly at Chanyeol—that name sounds familiar but Sehun can’t recall the information that comes with it. Sehun is surprised at Chanyeol’s ability to eat but instead of allowing the flow of the conversation to stop, he leans against the kitchen bench and pulls out another cookie from the jar and feeds it to Chanyeol. It’s almost _too_ easy, but Sehun soaks up all the information that Chanyeol has to provide. Chanyeol provides the information choppily, but Sehun gets the sense that there had been more vampires living here before but now, there is only Kyungsoo and Minseok.

 

“Kyungsoo must be lonely,” Sehun makes sure that his voice is downcast.

 

Sehun is glad to know that it’s enough when Chanyeol flies into his face, “Right? Right? He never says he is, but…” Chanyeol flutters away now, towards the door. “C’mon. He doesn’t say it, but Kyungsoo’s always in the garden you know, being all gloomy about his loneliness! You can keep him company.”

 

Sehun straightens immediately, slipping the cup into the sink before he follows after Chanyeol. A _garden_? There’s no way there could be one. He had looked all around and from the view out the window; Sehun hadn’t managed to see anything of the like. Everything that came into his slight was endless darkness because of all the tall trees blocking out the light. This might be it, Sehun thinks as he catches Chanyeol by his wings.

 

“I’m not as fast as you,” he chides, making sure to sound fond.

 

“Ah!” Chanyeol’s wings flutter rapidly and Sehun can tell that he is impatient. “Well, I’ll slow down but quickly!”

 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo’s first real encounter with the human and hunter named Oh Sehun comes pretty late, but at the same time, much too soon. Kyungsoo would have preferred to have all the information he needed on hand but Lu Han and Jongdae have not yet sent him a reply. Kyungsoo is a little worried about his advisors, but not so much Sehun, because the hunter is in his territory and without any protective amulets or weapons to inflict any harm.

 

“What are you doing?” Kyungsoo’s voice is low but stern.

 

_No one_ that Kyungsoo has taken in before has found their way into his garden before. Kyungsoo hasn’t cast a charm over it, but there’s no actual visible door for anyone else to know that it’s there. Kyungsoo looks around the garden but it’s just Sehun. Of course, Yixing and Minseok know that no one is to come without Kyungsoo’s permission. Chanyeol should know it too… where has he been actually? Kyungsoo thinks that he may be snacking on more cookies but—

 

Sehun flashes him a smile, “Um… hello?”

 

Kyungsoo just stares at him. It’s weird for Kyungsoo to see someone else in his garden before himself. Although it is not guarded, this place is the one place in the mansion where he demands that others seek permission before they enter. Sehun’s expectant expression slowly turns into a grin. Kyungsoo catches himself and stalls his expression so that it becomes neutral. Kyungsoo quickly closes his mouth but continues glaring as he walks around the garden.

 

“What are you doing here?” Kyungsoo asks again, this time, more composed, “This place is off limits.”

 

“Uh, I just… stumbled upon it so…” Sehun jumps, turning around to face Kyungsoo blankly. “I’m strolling?”

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t buy Sehun’s reasoning but he nods to acknowledge that he has heard Sehun’s excuse. Kyungsoo lifts his head a little to see the garden properly and then lowers it again without anymore anger. At the very least, Sehun hasn’t trampled over any flowers beside him. Still, Kyungsoo makes his way over to the garden to check the far end of it, to make sure that none of his other flowers have been tampered with either.

 

“If you want a stroll,” Kyungsoo retorts, “The forest would be better.”

 

“Can I do that?” Sehun asks with childlike hopeful eyes. Kyungsoo stares as Sehun pulls a tight smile before continuing, “And come back, without being rejected entry?”

 

Kyungsoo opens his mouth to affirm but then stops. Most of the time the strays that Kyungsoo has taken in have had a difficult time finding their path back to the mansion. Usually, he would have Minseok or Chanyeol go and bring them back because he cannot have anyone dying near his home. Sehun has just suggested that he _knew_ how to get back. That means that neither Minseok nor Chanyeol went to collect him that night.

 

“If you can find your way back,” Kyungsoo shrugs it off but Minseok would probably have to keep a close eye on the hunter.

 

Kyungsoo has already taken Sehun in. If he comes back, Kyungsoo wouldn’t have any reason to deny him temporary residence—especially since Kyungsoo is the one making it hard to leave. If Sehun can find his way back, Kyungsoo won’t have Minseok or Chanyeol bother with it. Ignoring Sehun, Kyungsoo continues to go around his garden.

 

Sehun scrunches his nose together with distaste. Kyungsoo is not very sociable. He’s not kind either. Sehun had tested waters with the forest and it had been a pain to get back and Kyungsoo must know that very well or else he wouldn’t suggest it with such a light, inconsiderate heart. That or he doesn’t really care very much for his guests, though the care that Sehun has received suggests otherwise.

 

“How about a walk together?” Sehun suggests, sheepishly, “Since we both have to return and you’re the one that knows the way.”

 

Kyungsoo looks at Sehun, with eyes wide and mouth slightly open, like he hadn’t even thought of the possibility. Then he blinks and the surprise is gone, followed by a disbelieving scoff. Sehun must have taken a really long walk before he managed to come back.

 

“No,” is Kyungsoo’s outright rejection.

 

Kyungsoo makes his words true by walking pass Sehun cautiously to grab the container so that he can water the plans. Kyungsoo feels Sehun’s gaze following him sharply, but there’s no real danger. Sehun stays seated right where he is and just watches. Kyungsoo is almost tempted to do something about it—but to do so would mean creating a mess in his garden, so he relents and goes about his business is usual. Unfortunately, Sehun decides to wait. Sehun only moves slightly when Kyungsoo arrives at the flowers by his seat. Sehun shifts politely and gives Kyungsoo this gummy smile that seems to say _I’m not going without you_. Kyungsoo scoffs, turns away and walks over to the portion of the garden that holds white roses, determined not to cave.

 

 

 

 

 

So Yixing and Minseok fight hard to hold back their giggles when Kyungsoo stands at the door of his home with Sehun, all ready to go out on that walk. Kyungsoo would say something but he decides against it. He couldn’t enjoy his garden view with Sehun sitting there. The picture didn’t look right. Sehun’s whining skills may be as good as Jongdae’s, but Kyungsoo is not inclined to give any information away, especially when he doesn’t know anything about Sehun.

 

Thankfully, Sehun’s not much of a talkative person. Once they begin walking, it really is only a walk. Sehun is without his weapons so Kyungsoo lowers his guard, but is slightly on edge, because he doesn’t know what kind of tricks Sehun might have up his sleeve. Without metal or hawthorn, Kyungsoo probably won’t die, but being injured before the preparations begin for the Fall Festival isn’t something he wants. On top of being injured, Minseok will lecture him for being careless.

 

“Let’s go one more round,” Sehun suggests suddenly.

 

Kyungsoo jerks, looking at Sehun with wide eyes, but he stills the rest of his face from showing surprise. Sehun is counting. That’s new. Sehun is already capable of distinguishing the path and it’s a little distressing. Kyungsoo allows his lips to twitch so that the tension dissipates and then, smirks. Kyungsoo is both amused and impressed. _Machine_ might be a favourite of the Board if its members are this capable. That means Kyungsoo needs to be careful.

 

“Looking for a way out?” Kyungsoo replies.

 

Sehun chuckles, “ _Trying_.”

 

Sehun smiles sheepishly too, but he doesn’t look so sure of himself. Confident that he will be able to keep Sehun if it came down to it, Kyungsoo agrees for another walk around the forest path. It’s all the same—there’s nothing else to see but the endless trees and the moonlight filtering through the yellowing leaves. Kyungsoo takes careful and calculated steps. He crushes the yellow leaves beneath his, as if he were practicing for the end of Autumn when the leaves turn orange and red.

 

The only problem with the set up for those that know it is that it’s easy to come in but hard to get out of. Kyungsoo is a little worried that they’ll have a large number of unintentional intruders. Usually once a week, Minseok or Yixing will come out to see if they have to lead anyone back home. Kyungsoo made them skip it this week because Sehun may have gone out for a walk. It would have been a good chance to test his abilities—only Kyungsoo didn’t think that he would be watching Sehun directly. He studies Sehun carefully but the hunter is not doing anything suspicious unless counting trees is it.

 

“How many charms have you got on this?” Sehun asks suddenly, putting Kyungsoo’s steps to a halt. “I thought that Black Magic was difficult to maintain.”

 

“There’s a trick to it,” Kyungsoo supplies, scrunching his nose. “How did you figure?”

 

Sehun shrugs without mention Junmyeon as an expert and walks on casually. Kyungsoo follows him, wondering where he intends to go, only to be stopped and pushed back roughly. When Kyungsoo looks up, Sehun’s stance is defensive and he has an arm up, telling Kyungsoo clearly, to stay out of the way. Curious, because the other presence is new, Kyungsoo sidesteps and peeks over Sehun’s arm to have a closer look at the intruder. At the very least, Kyungsoo can tell that there’s only one—the number is manageable.

 

As planned, they have a rogue vampire inside Kyungsoo’s barrier. The rogue is not odd, but Sehun is. For some reason, Sehun has instinctively decided that he needs to protect Kyungsoo. The thought almost makes Kyungsoo scoff, but he’s interested in seeing the outcome, so he takes a careful step back. Kyungsoo scoffs at the growl that comes from the rogue vampire and wonders _what_ he should do. Sehun is without a weapon, but if he can push Kyungsoo away then his abilities must extend beyond his weapons.

 

Kyungsoo takes a careful step and allows Sehun to stand between himself and the rogue vampire who looks extremely hungry and vicious. Kyungsoo sidesteps to take a good look at the vampire and he glares, but in this state, the vampire barely even recognises him. She lunges at Sehun and Sehun moves swiftly to dodge and affirm Kyungsoo’s expectations. The abilities of hunters have grown in the last decade or so and it’s not a surprise to Kyungsoo that Sehun handles the rogue with ease, even without his weapons.

 

Sehun knocks the rogue over and has her body pinned and her arms locked. She finally registers Kyungsoo’s presence and snarls at him, fangs beared and arms fighting rigidly to get away from Sehun’s grip. Kyungsoo sighs at the sight and takes a step closer, kneeling in front of her but at a distance. She growls at him and jerks forward, as if trying to make contact with his skin but Kyungsoo glares back and she whimpers away. Even if Kyungsoo feds it, it will only satisfy her for a day. It is her Sire that would need to save her before it’s too late.

 

“Kyungsoo?” Sehun whispers, letting down his guard.

 

The rogue vampire takes the chance and pulls away, throwing herself at Kyungsoo to hurt him. Kyungsoo’s action is almost reflexive, but Sehun’s voice cuts through and he forces himself to still because he wants to see the end result of this. How dangerous is the human that he’s keeping? If Sehun is beyond a normal vampire’s ability to tame, then the other members of _Machine_ , must be equally difficult to go against. As she looms over Kyungsoo, Sehun jumps over and holds her down and then, with a deep frown, twists her neck. The bones crackles loudly and Kyungsoo almost in doubles over in shock as Sehun pushes her back down and holds her struggling body in place.

 

Without needing to see anymore, Kyungsoo sends a whistle through the air, to call for Minseok to come. It takes less than five minutes before Minseok is on his knees before Kyungsoo asking the service that is required of him. All Kyungsoo has to do is gesture in the direction of the rogue. Minseok nods immediately and pushes Sehun aside, telling him to return home with Kyungsoo. Sehun looks back with concern, but Minseok shakes his head slightly and urges him to go.

 

Sehun chases and when he finally catches up, the house seems a bit closer than before. Kyungsoo is completely accustomed to the path but in his haste, Sehun had forgotten about it completely. Sehun is irritated at himself for being careless, but he keeps it to himself. The sight of Kyungsoo’s back is something else and it’s oddly intriguing. He’s smaller than any other vampire Sehun has encountered but his presence is quite large. Although he hadn’t been imposing, Kyungsoo didn’t show _any_ fear. Rogues are dangerous—even to fellow vampires. However, before he can ask, Kyungsoo beats him to it, turning around swiftly and looking up at Sehun.

 

“Are you an idiot?” Kyungsoo questions with a raise brow, but he’s clearly amused. “Protecting a vampire?”

 

“Isn’t that you?” Sehun shoots back at him, but does one lap around Kyungsoo to make sure that he hasn’t taken any damage. “Taking in a hunter?”

 

“You’re _harmless_ ,” Kyungsoo replies dismissively.

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t remind Sehun of that fact that just now, Sehun had been armless but still, opted to protect Kyungsoo because he had the confidence to do so. Sehun is not quite as harmless as Kyungsoo wants him to believe. Kyungsoo had seen the display of power earlier and there is nothing that can remove that impression. Kyungsoo didn’t fear Sehun, but it was enough for Kyungsoo to become warier of Sehun. However, Kyungsoo knows that there are a set of rules that Sehun goes by. Sehun cannot hunt if he has not been granted permission to and a vampire in control is protected by the treaty.

 

“You’re _not_ on the list,” Sehun tells him suddenly, eyes slightly mellow. “I only hunt rogues as directed.”

 

Kyungsoo scoffs, toeing off his shoes, “How do you know I’m not one?”

 

“You have too much self control.”

 

Kyungsoo turns around and crosses his arms, “Is that an insult or a compliment?”

 

Sehun blinks at him blankly without an answer and Kyungsoo waves him off. Kyungsoo scrunches his nose together and turns to walk back towards his chambers. The residue blood of a vampire isn’t all that enticing, but the wound that Sehun had been nursing had opened up and the smell of his blood is seeping out into the air. Kyungsoo doesn’t know how much self control he really has and he doesn’t really have any intentions of testing it with Sehun either.

 

“Have Minseok or Yixing to have a look at your wound.”

 

“Eh—” Sehun looks down at his stomach in surprise and frowns when he registers the pain. He looks up, ready to accuse Kyungsoo of being cold but the vampire is nowhere in sight. “You… you…”

 

 

 

 

 

When Sehun goes looking for Yixing, he finds Yixing feeding Chanyeol, so he takes the chance to slip away. Minseok is not back either, so it’s a good chance to look around while Kyungsoo is away in hiding. Sehun still does not have any ideas as to where his weapons are being kept. Kyungsoo’s East Wing is far more complex then the West Wing that he stays in. It makes sense, but Sehun still isn’t sure if he wants to test that out. Sehun doesn’t want to get lost there and be found with questions to be answered.

 

So Sehun walks up the stairs in the main hallway and looks at the door that leads to the Ballroom. It leads into the kitchen and there is a path, but Yixing has always told him to stay free of the main Ballroom, especially of all the places that have anything that resembles an intricate charm. Sehun thinks they may be summoning circles or something of the like and that is something that he should fear. But Sehun doesn’t feel any fear, because just how much power could a puny vampire like Kyungsoo have? If anything, Kyungsoo is a Noble and Sehun knows that he has the ability to deal with Nobles.

 

Sehun pushes the door open ajar and peeks inside. He darts his eyes around the room for any sign of Kyungsoo and begins to push it wider so that he can slip in when something tugs at the back of his collar. It’s a light touch, maybe something Chanyeol would do as a joke so Sehun makes nothing of it at first and pushes in a little further—

 

“That was a sign to stop,” Minseok’s stern voice jolts him.

 

“Uh—” Sehun jumps right around and hugs himself for safety reflexively.

 

Minseok’s eyes are trained on him seriously, but he is alone. Confused, Sehun looks around for the rogue vampire, but she is nowhere to be found. Instead, Sehun spots Minseok’s blood stained clothing and shrinks back into himself. Sehun himself, has gotten too comfortable here that he has almost forgotten that they’re just as dangerous as he is, if not more, because he is currently unarmed and under their control.

 

“I’m… looking for Kyungsoo?” Sehun questions even himself, “He’s not in the garden.”

 

Minseok shrugs, “You shouldn’t be walking about.”

 

“Why not?” Sehun asks and defiantly crosses his arms, “You’ve never stopped me before.”

 

Minseok rolls his eyes and then directs them to Sehun’s numb wound. But, even when it’s numb, the bleeding continues to seep through. Sehun groans at the sight and Minseok shakes his head, turning his heel and waving for Sehun to follow along. To keep up his appearance, Sehun follows without a fight. The intricate design on the floor, the biggest one yet, is the most compelling and Sehun wants to examine it in closer detail but he fights the urge to look.

 

“You’re a handful,” Minseok sighs.

 

Sehun follows him with cheer, sneaking up to his side and nudging him, “Like Jongin?”

 

The name makes Minseok freeze up and Sehun follows reflexively in suit. The air around them becomes cold with just the mention of one name. Sehun hopes that he hasn’t said anything wrong—Chanyeol had said everything without holding back. Sehun had also assumed that Kyungsoo who has been described as ‘kind’ wouldn’t be one to hold any grudges. Minseok turns to him slowly, head shifting in a staggered robotic-like movement.

 

“Don’t mention that name in front of the Master,” Minseok commands and leaves no room for arguments.

 

Something about the way that Minseok’s eyes glow makes Sehun swallow in a little prayer for Chanyeol. Minseok turns back and walks away again, this time without telling Sehun to follow. Sehun does so anyway and acts more carefully this time. Sehun wonders what the issue with Jongin is, but he keeps his silence. Yixing might be willing to tell and maybe, if he gets to Chanyeol before Minseok does, he can bribe some more information out of him. This has sparked Sehun’s interest and all because, Junmyeon had mentioned something about a hunter that had gone missing and has yet to have his body retrieved.

 

“Don’t dawdle,” Minseok chides.

 

Clearing his throat, Sehun picks up the pace of his steps to walk by Minseok’s side. Minseok takes Sehun into one of the spare rooms and sits him down as he rummages through the cupboards to pull out the first aid kit. They probably only have them here for Yixing’s sake, but the supply is generous. As Minseok opens up the kit, he instructs Sehun to help out by taking off his shirt and removing the dirty bandage. Being careful not to upset him anymore, Sehun does as he is told.

 

“Your wound is serious,” Minseok chides, wrapping a new bandage over it. “You shouldn’t have pushed yourself.”

 

Sehun hisses. It’s been two whole weeks and his wound is taking forever to heal. He did push himself a little in the forest earlier, but he didn’t think the wound would reopen like that—it felt like it was on its way to perfection so Sehun had been a little reckless. Either the hit he took was hard or, there’s something else going on inside the mansion that makes his healing process slow. Sehun will bank on the latter, only because he doesn’t quite trust anyone of them yet—not even Yixing and he’s supposed to trust all humans.

 

“You guys have limited resources here,” Sehun retorts. “If you let me go I’d be fine in a week.”

 

“We have great resources,” Minseok clicks his tongue. “Yixing practices medicine.”

 

“It doesn’t seem to be doing anything,” Sehun mutters back.

 

“That’s because,” Minseok enunciates with strong tugs on the bandage to make it _hurt_. Sehun whines loudly, but Minseok doesn’t relent. “You’ve been cursed. Human medicine can only do so much.”

 

Sehun stares at Minseok in disbelief, _a curse?_

 

“What,” Minseok scoffs, clearly entertained, “You didn’t notice, Mr. Hunter?”

 

“Are you sure you didn’t curse me?” Sehun replies.

 

Minseok laughs some more and purposefully pulls on the bandage again but this time, Sehun doesn’t give him the satisfaction of wincing. Minseok’s not that petty anyway and patches Sehun up nicely with a light pat once he’s done. This time, Minseok doesn’t do it to hurt but mostly out of fondness. If Sehun had to evaluate his time here, the hosts have been nothing but kind. Vampires do not have the ability to curse anyone anyway, so Sehun doesn’t bother suspecting them. Sehun has to backtrack to the event before he was taken in but his memory is hazy. He’s sure a vampire had been amongst his opponent’s ranks, but he wasn’t sure if there was another kind there—one that _could_ curse him.

 

“Lee Gikwang…” Sehun mumbles, remembering the vampire’s smug face.

 

There was something odd about their fight that day too. Now that Sehun is reflecting on it, they had begun at the edges of forest and slowly moved inwards. It was late at night as well, so Sehun wasn’t too concerned about being seen by other humans. But the fight had progressed to a dangerous level and Lee Gikwang had purposely lured Sehun into the depths of the forest but why?

 

“What?” Minseok asks.

 

Sehun jerks, looking up and faking a smile, “Nothing.”

 

“Once you’re healed, we’ll let you go,” Minseok advises, “So behave yourself for the time being.”

 

Sehun would retort, telling Minseok not to treat him like a child, but he probably _is_ a child compared to someone of Minseok and Kyungsoo’s calibre. They’ve been around so much longer; anything Sehun has to say in regards to respect and age is just out of the question. Sehun has learnt not to dig that grave for himself after his first dealing with a vampire. Yifan had laughed about it for a week, because he had clearly warned Sehun not to try that one.

 

“And while you’re here, don’t mention Jongin,” Minseok warns, eyes suddenly sharp and smoky. “I mean it.”

 

Sehun swallows the lump in his chest and nods obediently. It’s the first time that Sehun has seen Minseok exert power over him. Kyungsoo still hasn’t but with Minseok’s presence now, Sehun decides that Kyungsoo doesn’t need to. Sehun makes a promise with Minseok on that, but he isn’t sure how well he’ll fair keeping his mouth shut when he feels threatened by Kyungsoo.

 

“I’ll be careful not to aggravate the wound,” Sehun supplies meaning both his physical one and Kyungsoo’s emotional one. “Don’t worry.”

 

Surprisingly, Minseok doesn’t flare his temper at Sehun’s childishness. Minseok gives him a glance over but just nods and tells Sehun to return to his room if he has nothing better to do. It’s a warning not to go wondering around in search of things that he’s not meant to. Sehun smiles with another promise and walks with Minseok out the door before they separate.

 

Minseok is more careful than Kyungsoo is. That means that Sehun has to plan a different way out. Yifan and Junmyeon are probably going crazy looking for him. But more than that, because Kyungsoo, Minseok and Yixing have been kind, Sehun has no reason to harm them just so that he can leave. They have said that he can leave when he heals, but Sehun doesn’t have the time. Sehun needs a safe method to leave because by nature of his learning, Sehun does not harm vampires that aren’t on the list.

 

Then it clicks. Kyungsoo’s garden of flowers will be useful—particularly the wild white roses. White roses can keep vampires detained for the time that he needs to make his escape. It’s a safe plan because they have Yixing here. Sehun doesn’t have to worry that he’s trapped Kyungsoo and Minseok in their coffins for the rest of eternity. Yixing will be the fix—even if he has no intentions of helping Sehun out. All Sehun has to do now is plan well.

 

 

 

 

 

Instead of the blossoming flowers, Kyungsoo is greeted with the sight of Sehun’s back first. Kyungsoo stands at the door, studying it for a little longer. Sehun’s shoulders a board and it’s hard to believe that his shape is that of someone in their early twenties but his personality and taste, is just like a child’s. The mix is strange but Kyungsoo doesn’t ponder on it. It’s not an important thing to waste his time on.

 

Eventually, Kyungsoo sighs, “In my garden again?”

 

“It’s a pretty garden,” Sehun supplies in return. “I’m attracted.”

 

“Hm,” Kyungsoo hums and he’s now looming over Sehun threateningly, “Should I bury you beneath it?”

 

Sehun lifts his head up immediately and stares at Kyungsoo, who stares back intensely and seriously. Sehun laughs loudly, looking at Kyungsoo with amusement. Kyungsoo’s silence however, puts his chuckle to a stop. Sehun swallows thickly and puts on a small smile when he realises that Kyungsoo _isn’t_ joking. Kyungsoo doesn’t joke often, but Sehun hadn’t expected him to make such a proposal about his precious garden.

 

“Sorry,” Sehun replies immediately, on guard. “Please spare me.”

 

Kyungsoo scoffs, but moves on to tend to his garden. Kyungsoo walks around it, leaving Sehun in his place to watch because there is nothing else that he can do. Sehun has proven to be stubborn and too much of an effort to try and change. Yixing might like to try because he’s got a charming smile to sway Sehun, but Kyungsoo is not inclined to show Sehun something that would close the gap in their relationship. So Kyungsoo leaves it alone and preserves his energy.

 

“Aren’t you leaving yet?” Kyungsoo frowns.

 

“Minseok says I can’t until my wounds heal,” Sehun replies, “Apparently it’s _your_ policy.”

 

Kyungsoo lowers his gaze to Sehun’s stomach and then looks away. “That’s not what I meant.”

 

Kyungsoo can’t see underneath the clothes, but if Minseok is saying so, it means that Sehun’s wounds are still far from being healed. Besides, Sehun needs to stay until Kyungsoo gets the information on him. It’s late but considering that the Fall Festival is coming up and all that is going on with the Board, Kyungsoo can understand Lu Han and Jongdae’s delay.

 

“It’d be a problem if you died on my residence,” Kyungsoo replies.

 

“An investigation right?” Sehun prompts. “Those are messy.”

 

Kyungsoo nods. He _wouldn’t_ let them in here, but the members of the Board cam demand it. If a hunter disappears where Kyungsoo is, there will be more trouble. The Board will easily group Kyungsoo with the Resistance at the chance and everything that Kyungsoo’s father has worked towards will be for nought. Kyungsoo cannot let that happen, especially if he is inheriting all of the goodwill.

 

“I was involved in one once,” Sehun reminiscences and winces at the face of children, scared and witless in the face of a power they didn’t understand, “It was pretty bad…”

 

Sehun shudders as he recalls it and Kyungsoo just watches in amusement because no matter how Sehun had seen it then, he’s working for the Board now. Despite looking like he’s the quiet type, Sehun starts talking and it must be because he’s bored out of his misery in Kyungsoo’s home. There isn’t much to do and Sehun has already done all the walking that he can.

 

Kyungsoo has nothing other to do than tend to his flowers, accept letters and respond to them, so he allows Sehun to run his mouth as Kyungsoo waters his flowers. It’s like having an unplanned class and Sehun is a decent tutor, if all Kyungsoo wants to know is bits and pieces about the world that he rarely ventures into.

 

They talk about all sorts of things. It is surprising for Kyungsoo because he is usually silent and Sehun is too, but once the boy starts talking about his life outside and his life during the day, he can’t seem to stop. Sehun talks about all the things he misses and while Kyungsoo has been updated, there are things that he just can’t comprehend. At his confusion, Sehun laughs at him really loud and then kindly proceeds to explain. Kyungsoo listens with some interest but soon zones out. Sehun never stops going on about how he misses his chocolate.

 

“I’ll have Yixing get you some.” Kyungsoo finally concedes, hoping that Sehun would shut up now. “So stop talking.”

 

“But _you_ haven’t ever tried it,” Sehun gasps and now, he is just being patronising. “You’re missing out on so much, Kyungsoo.”

 

Kyungsoo shrugs. Kyungsoo only needs blood to survive and that’s enoughfor him. There is no need for Kyungsoo to start desiring other things—mortal things. Kyungsoo is not much like Lu Han and Jongdae and maybe, Baekhyun and Jongin, who crave that thing called affection and love when their hearts are as dead as anybody in a gravestone.

 

“It comes in all sorts of things,” Sehun continues, still not registering Kyungsoo’s exhaustion with the topic, “Ice-cream! They also make chocolate milk, chocolate cereal—”

 

“Ice-cream,” Kyungsoo scowls—now Sehun sounds just like Chanyeol. “Gross.”

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t like cold things. His body is naturally like that but it feels more like room temperature. Kyungsoo, who is a being that lives on warm, human blood, hates to have anything cold go through his body. It’s just weird. Just the thought of it makes Kyungsoo shudder in distaste. When Sehun catches on, he has the audacity to laugh it off. Irritated, Kyungsoo throws his arms across and splashes Sehun with some water as a sign of retaliation.

 

“Hey!” Sehun growls, wiping his face with his sleeve, “That was childish of you.”

 

“Well that’s probably what I would have felt if you gave me ice-cream,” Kyungsoo replies, “Childish.”

 

“Ch’,” Sehun pokes out his tongue, “I forget that you’re the old and grumpy type.”

 

Kyungsoo decides to ignore that comment because he had been pushed a little to being childish, but he won’t let Sehun laugh about it again. He sinks into his thoughts for a moment and thinks back to all the conversations that he’s had with Sehun. None of the information that he has picked up has been really useful in determining why Sehun had been in Gotjawal. Opening his eyes again, Kyungsoo shifts a little and makes sure that he’s facing Sehun directly so that the hunter cannot run or hide.

 

“Why were you in Gotjawal anyway?”

 

Sehun blinks and Kyungsoo follows his gestures carefully. Following Kyungsoo’s gaze, Sehun hums thoughtfully and stays silent for a brief moment. Then, when he opens his eyes and fixes a gaze on Kyungsoo’s, it feels like he has something important to say and Kyungsoo, feels on the edge of his seat because Minseok did mention Lee Gikwang, but will Sehun?

 

“Don’t remember,” Sehun shrugs, still humming as if he’s thinking really hard about it. “I got into a fight. It’s complicated.”

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t miss a beat, but he does wonder why he’d bother asking a hunter such a thing, “You’re just _being_ complicated.”

 

Sehun flashes a wide smile in return, “And you’re just plain old boring Kyungsoo.”

 

 

 

 

 

It is near morning when they return from the walk. Sehun had insisted on being outside to look at the stars because he felt stuffy being inside all the time. Kyungsoo, without anything to do other than to read documents and tend to his garden agreed for a change of pace. The sky was nice but being with Sehun had been kind of draining. Now all Kyungsoo wants is some peace and quiet in the comfort of his library where there is nothing but books.

 

“I’m tired,” Kyungsoo mumbles when he steps back inside with Sehun following.

 

“Would you like me to prepare a bath?” Minseok asks, taking Kyungsoo’s jacket.

 

Before Yixing can ask, Kyungsoo shakes his head and tells them both that he’ll probably just read something before bed. That has Sehun perking up with energy again and he jumps right in front of Kyungsoo, eyes glowing. Both Minseok and Yixing step back to make space because Kyungsoo likes some distance between himself and others.

 

“You have a library Kyungsoo?” Sehun asks with sparkling eyes.

 

“What?” Kyungsoo scowls, “You think that all I do is sit in the garden?”

 

“Well,” Sehun clears his throat, “Could have fooled me.”

 

Kyungsoo throws Sehun a glare but doesn’t bother trying to win the verbal battle. That would require Kyungsoo to exert energy that he doesn’t have. Kyungsoo starts making his way up the steps and Sehun follows. Minseok almost wants to stop him from going but Yixing throws him a sharp look while shaking his head.

 

“Can I see?” Sehun questions, matching Kyungsoo’s step. “If you had told me you had a library I wouldn’t have dragged you out.”

 

Kyungsoo elbows Sehun to put some distance between them, “You’re already following me.”

 

Kyungsoo runs his fingers through his hair but can’t find it in him to send Sehun away. The look in his eyes earlier when Kyungsoo had mentioned his library had been something real. As a lover of books, old and new, Kyungsoo actually wants to share all of his favourite titles rather than keep them to himself. He sighs to himself but allows Sehun to follow along without a fight.

 

When they get to the library, Kyungsoo turns around and glares, “What does the library mean?”

 

“Um,” Sehun tilts his head. “Silence!”

 

Kyungsoo nods, “If you’re noisy I’ll kick you out.”

 

Sehun holds his fingers up and pulls it across his mouth, a gesture that he’s already being quiet. Kyungsoo shakes his head but turns around and pushes the door open. Sehun follows quietly but doesn’t manage to contain the gasps the leaves his mouth when he is faced with endless cases and cases of books. A lot of them are old texts and Sehun wonders how many first edition titles Kyungsoo has on hand. If Sehun wasn’t jealous of Kyungsoo’s luxurious lifestyle before, he is now.

 

“No questions,” Kyungsoo says sternly, walking pass his coffin. He climbs the ladder, picks a book to his liking and pulls the cushion over to the corner of one of the lower shelves and sits down with it. “Try to be careful with my books.”

 

Sehun nods and begins exploring quietly. Sehun looks around himself—up and down and is fascinated by Kyungsoo’s collection. A lot of the books have ceases and it tells Sehun how many times Kyungsoo has been through his favourites. It’s amazing but at the same time, as Chanyeol had said, incredibly lonely. No matter what it is that Kyungsoo does, it is alone.

 

Once Sehun has picked his text he returns to the floor and picks a seat on the corner opposite of Kyungsoo’s. He flips it open with apprehension because Kyungsoo is glaring at him. Even when he turns the next page, Kyungsoo is still glaring so Sehun pretends to handle the page roughly just to see Kyungsoo’s anger flare. It turns out to be the most dangerous he’s ever seen Kyungsoo and so Sehun clears his throat immediately and puts his hands up in defence.

 

“Sorry,” Sehun apologies, “I’ll be careful, promise.”

 

Kyungsoo gets to read in silence, head leaned against the bookshelf and comfort growing with just him and Sehun in the room. The only sound that exists is that of the pages being rustled. Kyungsoo enjoys it. It’s nice and equal to the sound of the leaves being crushed under his feet as he walks the forest with Sehun. Sehun falls asleep first and Kyungsoo thinks about returning Sehun to his room, but finds himself caught at a particularly compelling section of the chapter and cannot bring himself to stop. Just like that, Kyungsoo continues to read until sleep takes over him too.

 

Minseok manages a small smile when he pushes the door open. Minseok had brought some tea and cookies, but it looks like they won’t be having any of it. Carefully, Minseok tiptoes back out and returns with two blankets so that he can drape it over both of them. On the left corner of the bookshelf, Minseok covers Kyungsoo up first and then goes to the right to drape the blanket over Sehun. Upon exiting, Minseok blows out the candle and hopes, that the events from a century ago won’t be repeating itself.

 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo gets up that night and is still a little groggery, but stays up because there’s nothing that he can gain from sleeping anymore. It’s not the time for him to go into a deep slumber anyway. There are too many things on his mind and the autumn leaves have changed from yellow to orange. The Fall Festival continues to draw closer without giving Kyungsoo a chance at a break.

 

“Master, a package for you,” Minseok smiles at him, packaged clipped under his arm and a tray in his hands. “Lord Jongdae also sent something… it’s in a huge box so I’ve left it downstairs.”

 

Kyungsoo raises a brow as he gets the door, but it’s not really a package. It’s bigger than the usual letter but remains in A4 size. It’s enough to indicate that Lu Han and Jongdae have done their job to the fullest of their abilities. Or maybe, Jongdae is playing a prank and providing more information that Kyungsoo actually needs to read. It’s actually _possible_ but Kyungsoo cannot even turn it away because Jongdae had probably scattered the useful information in between all the rubbish.

 

Minseok gestures to the tray first, lifting it up for Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo frowns, but picks up the glass that’s filled to the brim. Minseok is looking out for him again. Kyungsoo understands that he needs to be full with a human around. It’s not ideal, considering that the Board allocates his blood supply. They want him to cut back and test their blood pills. Kyungsoo has been doing that, but his body still refuses to digest them.

 

“How is the blood bank looking?” Kyungsoo asks.

 

Kyungsoo hasn’t had any pills since Sehun’s arrival. Minseok has been constantly supplying him with real blood to ensure that Kyungsoo does not lose control. Kyungsoo thinks that it might be running low and he doesn’t want to deal with it at this time. If he sends a request to the Board through his advisors, the Board will use it as an excuse to investigate. It’s not something that Kyungsoo wants, but because it is a part of the treaty agreement, Kyungsoo will need to comply.

 

“It’ll be fine, Master,” Minseok replies, frowning. “We’ve only used what’s necessary.”

 

Kyungsoo knows that Minseok is upset about the issue. Kyungsoo has actually been taking more pills than necessary but, he’d rather get used to it sooner than later. Kyungsoo is probably the ideal test subject for the pills before the Board suggests that _all_ vampires take a pill to sate their hungry instead of going for real human blood. Kyungsoo has been purposely taking note of all the issues and side effects of the pills just so he can squash that plan.

 

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo says, grabbing onto the documents.

 

Kyungsoo turns and heads towards the library, where he knows that he will be allowed enough peace to go through the document without any interruptions. Minseok, Yixing and Chanyeol know not to bother him when he’s in there and Sehun should be getting ready to sleep right about now, so that’s done. Kyungsoo locks the door anyway, just to be safe and lights the lamp before he sits down.

 

It takes a while to open up the package. Jongdae had probably been the one to tape it—possibly as revenge—but Kyungsoo takes a deep breath to calm himself. Jongdae’s a child. Kyungsoo will not drop to his level. Once the tape is off though, everything else is easy. Kyungsoo tips the envelope over and everything falls out, trapped in another protective layer of loose leaf pocket. On top is the Board’s proposal and the document beneath is a thin stack with ‘OH SEHUN’ titled on it. Kyungsoo hadn’t expected to receive the Board’s proposal so late, but they probably wanted to stall him for as long as possible. Kyungsoo is curious about Sehun, but the pressing matter is the proposal. It’s a matter concerning life and death so he pushes Sehun’s documents aside and starts going through their plan.

 

As expected, there is a lot of sugar coating on the document but Kyungsoo can still make out the malice. They still insist on using the Fall Festival as the end point. The Board argues that it is their best bet at getting all the rogues that they are eyeing. But Kyungsoo knows better. It’s only because the Fall Festival is the one event where all the vampires—Royalty, Nobles, Halves and Commons—will gather. The Fall Festival is the weakest point for all vampires. They will be down on numbers and the ones that are left behind will be mourning. It’s the perfect time for an ambush, no matter how much they are trying to play it up to numbers. At the end of the document, they sincerely request Kyungsoo’s cooperation and the sentence makes him laugh. It’s so damn ridiculous.

 

Putting the thought on hold so that he can review it objectively, Kyungsoo moves onto the next document. The matter with the Board is a headache so he hopes that he won’t have any issues to deal with concerning Sehun, but even then, it should be simpler, easier to get out of the way first. The file isn’t too thick or thin and Kyungsoo has a feeling that the proposal had been Lu Han’s work and the document on Sehun, must have been completed by Jongdae. Kyungsoo groans at the thought. He remembers all of Jongdae’s handiwork on all papers and drops his head against the table. It’ll be messy but colourful. Kyungsoo fears opening the document but he needs all the information that he can get. Kyungsoo needs it early so that he can deal with it before the Fall Festival comes around.

 

As expected, Jongdae has annotated the document in the most colourful way possible. Kyungsoo makes a mental reminder to punish Lu Han for allowing this to happen, but continues reading with interest because, Sehun’s background information is definitely more interesting than the Board’s proposal. Jongdae’s annotations are made to keep his attention. The things Jongdae scribbles like _isn’t he a cute kid_ , here and there makes Kyungsoo laugh because Sehun’s blank face is still the same.

 

But the only useful information to come out of it is a confirmation of Sehun’s Hunting Squad, _Machine_ , which consists of two more members, Junmyeon and Yifan. Jongdae has kindly stuck a photo of both inside and a very brief summary of their abilities. Kyungsoo scans through them and moves on, to the more important thing—namely the statistics that Jongdae has pulled together about _Machine_ in general.

 

_Machine’s_ general abilities are impressive. They have the highest hit rate and a lot of their assignments, as they call it, _are_ as Sehun had said, rogues. A unit of three is kind of small in Kyungsoo’s opinion, but that only confirms how capable they actually are. Sehun had demonstrate some ability but Kyungsoo didn’t think that he was keeping someone so dangerous around—especially given how Sehun’s childish tastes seem to align perfectly with Chanyeol’s. It looks like it’s time to send Sehun home, before any trouble comes along.

 

Sighing once more, Kyungsoo closes the document and sets it aside. Underneath the final document is a little letter that probably passed Minseok’s mind. Kyungsoo looks at it and flips it over, finding the wax seal printed. It represents the Lee Manor and Jieun’s signature is scrawled across it. It is probably another letter requesting an audience and Kyungsoo makes sure to separate it in the pile that’s reserved for all the Fall Festival planning matters.

 

Curious about the extra package from Jongdae, Kyungsoo puts the documents down and takes the chance to stretch his legs. He grabs the cardigan hanging by and slips into it as he makes his way down the stairs. When he finds the box, Chanyeol is hovering over it and sniffing at it curiously. Although Sehun should be asleep, he is there too and Kyungsoo is wary. A package from _Jongdae_. The sender is enough to indicate the possibility of trouble and not to mention, Jongdae’s best friend happens to be the one and only Byun Baekhyun.

 

“Oh, Kyungsoo.”

 

Kyungsoo nods in Sehun’s direction as acknowledgement. Chanyeol on the other hand, comes straight for Kyungsoo’s head and seats himself on top of it. As Kyungsoo advances, Chanyeol whines about waiting for him to come and open that box. Kyungsoo snorts, reminding them that _Jongdae_ had sent them but Chanyeol insists that there’s something really delicious inside.

 

Kyungsoo is wary but at the same time curious. Jongdae has sent very interesting things before—like a whole box of action movies that made Kyungsoo snort every time a human managed to pull off an inhumane stunt. It was a sight to see too, all the CG effects, some good and some bad. There was also the collection of books that Jongdae would send every now and then but if this has Chanyeol _and_ Sehun attached, it might be something that Kyungsoo hates.

 

Kyungsoo clears his throat and glares at the both of them until they take some considerable steps back. They do as asked, but are still hovering over Kyungsoo’s head—Chanyeol, thanks to his wings and Sehun, because of his height—so that they can see the objects inside the moment that Kyungsoo opens it. Kyungsoo turns back around and sends them a glare, but Sehun is now, standing casually and Chanyeol, seated above Sehun’s head, as if they aren’t the least curious.

 

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and turns back around but they’re already back. Kyungsoo can feel their presence, but decides against wasting any more energy on trying to get them to cooperate. They clearly won’t. Being very careful about it, because the memories of the things that Baekhyun and Jongdae have done together sends a shudder down his spine, Kyungsoo swipes a hand against the taping and watches as it rips in half.

 

The box, puffs up a little without the tape and Kyungsoo starts smelling something _sweet_. From the way that Sehun and Chanyeol seem to hover closer, Kyungsoo squirms, but lifts up one of the sides of the cardboard box to see exactly what lies inside. Although Kyungsoo is quick to shut the box again, the scent has already waffled through the air. From the labelling, Kyungsoo could see that they are an array of chocolate brands and types. Kyungsoo can feel a migraine growing as he thinks back to his conversations with Sehun and the information provided on the document. Why is Jongdae so intent on this?

 

_Are you gonna keep him?_

 

Despite Chanyeol’s mouth watering and Sehun’s glimmering eyes, Kyungsoo pulls a tight smile across his lips and shoves the lid inwards. They gasp in protest, but Kyungsoo pulls the box into his arms and carries it off. Chanyeol and Sehun share one glance and nod in agreement before they begin their chase. Kyungsoo is going to make sure Jongdae hurts the next time that Kyungsoo sees him.

 

“Yah!” Sehun whines, chasing after him. “You said you’d have Yixing get me some anyway, what’s the big deal?”

 

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo retorts, running with the box in hand. “They’re not for you!”

 

“Master, Master,” Chanyeol sing-songs, “Then aren’t they for me?”

 

“But you don’t eat them,” Sehun reasons, “That’s a waste, Kyungsoo!”

 

“No,” Kyungsoo replies. “Chanyeol, you too. No.”

 

“That’s stingy!” Sehun yells, still chasing after him at his fastest pace, “Kyungsoo!”

 

Chanyeol follows them around scattering his pixie dust everywhere. Kyungsoo ends up running in circles because Sehun won’t give up. To his dismay, Kyungsoo runs into a dead end. Kyungsoo ends up cornered against the wall and both Chanyeol and Sehun in his face. Kyungsoo _would_ use force but they’ve already started getting the decorations for the Fall Festival up. Kyungsoo cannot make Minseok and Yixing do it all over again.

 

“Master!” Chanyeol whines and Sehun follows, “Kyungsoo!”

 

“No,” Kyungsoo denies, hugging the box like it’s the most precious thing in the world.

 

Chanyeol takes advantage of Kyungsoo’s dismay and actually does it. The pixie juts out his lips and mimics the little thing called _aegyo_ that Kyungsoo had picked up from Lu Han’s choice if shitty Korean dramas. Sehun follows in suit and Kyungsoo feels his spine shiver. Minseok and Yixing both stop their work to come and look at what the commotion is. It’s a funny sight to them but they both giggle into their hands without interrupting. This is the most lively the mansion has been in such a long time and Minseok wants to hold onto the sight.

 

 

 

 

 

_And you’re just plain old boring Kyungsoo_.

 

It’s a surprise but Kyungsoo notices it and fixes it the moment that he opens his eyes. His lips had been curved into a smile and it needed immediate fixing. It’s probably the first time anyone has ever told him that he’s _just_ Kyungsoo, even if Sehun had to say he was old and boring. Kyungsoo’s parents had been a little bit different. To them, Kyungsoo had been Seungsoo’s little bother. To his advisors, Kyungsoo is the commander and to Minseok and Yixing, he is the Master because he owns the mansion. It’s nice, to be just Kyungsoo but Kyungsoo knows he cannot be carried away by that.

 

Kyungsoo looks at his curtains and frowns a little because it’s still bright out. He rarely leaves his room before five P.M. but he’s feeling kind of restless. Even if he does wake up earlier, Kyungsoo tends to stay in his bed with a good book. Realising that he doesn’t have a book by his bed Kyungsoo pulls the blanket aside and proceeds next door, to the library to find a suitable text for his morning reading.

 

Upon entering, Kyungsoo scoffs and loses his interest in finding a book. Above his closed coffin, are three branches of wild white roses resting on it. It seems like Sehun hadn’t failed to notice it when Kyungsoo had shown him to the library earlier. The white roses are a good idea. It would have done the trick in keep Kyungsoo confined, but too bad for Sehun Kyungsoo sleeps in a comfortable bed instead of the stuffy coffin.

 

Kyungsoo manages a little smirk on his face as he moves across his mansion quietly—like he’s playing hide and seek. Of course, he knows exactly where it is that Sehun is going so Kyungsoo follows a careful distance behind while keeping his presence well concealed. It’s fun to walk around the empty manor and then catch Sehun sneaking around, like a novice thief. However, looking at the way that Sehun is moving about and where he is, Kyungsoo realises that should be warier of Sehun’s abilities.

 

Deciding that playtime is over, Kyungsoo glides across the floor and only lands when he’s about arm’s length away from Sehun. Still feeling a bit playful about it, Kyungsoo pokes Sehun at his waist and chuckles, when Sehun jumps with a loud yelp. Kyungsoo frowns a little afterwards, realising that he would have gotten Sehun good if he had tried to tickle him instead.

 

“Fuck!” Sehun curses, clutching onto his chest. “Kyungsoo…! You scared me.”

 

“You need to try harder,” Kyungsoo offers as a way of consolation for Sehun’s tight features. “What kind of hunter is so easily scared?”

 

Sehun shrugs eventually, “I must have gotten Minseok.”

 

Now that surprises Kyungsoo, but he tries not to let it show. It’s a sign that they’re being careless with the human that is currently in their care. Eventually, Yixing will do a stroll of the mansion and then, he will wake Minseok but that won’t be good enough. Kyungsoo should probably be more guarded than this. Even if he has Sehun’s weapons kept away, Sehun himself, continues to prove to be a possible threat.

 

“That’s why we have Yixing,” Kyungsoo shoots back.

 

“Damn it,” Sehun mumbles under his breath.

 

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Kyungsoo asks, covering his laughter with his hands.

 

“I was _hungry_ ,” Sehun defends.

 

Kyungsoo raises a brow, “For laundry?”

 

It looks like Sehun hadn’t even considered where he was and had just spoken reflexively. When Sehun realises that he’s holding onto a pile of clothes, he drops it in shock and stutters his way to a more coherent response that doesn’t do anything to lower Kyungsoo’s suspicion. Sehun clears his throat then and turns away to hide his embarrassment.

 

“Wanna go for a walk, Kyungsoo?”

 

Kyungsoo looks out the window towards his garden and then back further, into the empty area of the forest behind his home with a quizzical expression. A walk would be nice as well. Minseok and Yixing never ask because they want to keep Kyungsoo safe inside. Sehun is probably trying something, but Kyungsoo enjoys stepping on the leaves and hearing them snap under his feet. It’s a surprisingly soothing process.

 

“Let me water the plants first,” Kyungsoo ends up conceding. “Why don’t you go eat something?”

 

Sehun shakes his head, “I’ll help. Make it quick. Unlike you, I need sleep.”

 

“Okay.” Kyungsoo barks out a surprised laughter—with the way that Sehun’s been around, he’d almost forgotten that Sehun is human. “I’ve got it, Sleeping Beauty.”

 

 

 

 

 

By the time that November comes around, Sehun’s wounds have healed perfectly. Sehun has stayed out of curiosity, but Kyungsoo hasn’t asked any questions about it. However, it is time for Sehun to depart. Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything but it will be inappropriate to keep a human around when the Fall Festival starts. It’s lucky for Kyungsoo that Sehun is the one that brings it up first.

 

“My wounds have healed,” Sehun says, absently from where he sits in the middle of Kyungsoo’s garden. “I’m free to leave now, right?”

 

“You have always been free to leave,” Kyungsoo repeats the phrase out of habit. Kyungsoo repeats it to everyone that he takes in and even now, it sounds like a drone, but he says it all the same, fooling himself, over anyone else. “This place is designed to keep people out, not lock people in.”

 

“I’ve _tried_ ,” Sehun retorts.

 

“Not hard enough,” Kyungsoo bites back. “And I’ve accompanied you several times.”

 

Sehun flicks gently at one of Kyungsoo’s purple flowers, scoffing, “Then why are you still here?”

 

Kyungsoo looks up at him, eyes wider than usual before he shakes his head and turns away. Ignoring Sehun, Kyungsoo continues watering his plants. He crosses the garden but leaves the wild white roses alone. Sehun’s eyes follow him and Kyungsoo makes a show of heading over to the white roses and shaking some water over the wild flowers. Looking at the white roses now, Kyungsoo isn’t sure who it is that these roses should remind him of. Is it Baekhyun whom he lost to Jongin, or Jongdae who threw this idea at him once it was too late? Or maybe, Oh Sehun who’d attempted to keep Kyungsoo in a coffin, because he did not want to harm Kyungsoo? Perhaps, no one is the best answer. Only Kyungsoo needs to be confined in this place.

 

“This is home,” Kyungsoo replies. “It’s the place I return.”

 

Sehun stands and fidgeting a little on spot but then says nothing at all. S had thought about it over the past few months, but there is nothing that he can say. Their lifestyle is vastly different. His experiences do not apply to Kyungsoo’s life and Kyungsoo had not been too intent on trying to understand. Sehun just nods in Kyungsoo’s direction and disappears from the garden. Kyungsoo leaves a sigh of relief then, but his time of peace is short lived. Just a few minutes later, Sehun returns with Chanyeol draped across his shoulders.

 

“What’s wrong now?” Kyungsoo sighs, looking at the both of them disapprovingly. “You’re not up to something weird are you?”

 

Chanyeol whines, “No, my tummy hurts.”

 

Kyungsoo finds Chanyeol ghastly pale, “That’s why I told you cut back on all the sweets.”

 

“Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol cries, tears welling up in his eyes. “It hurts.”

 

Kyungsoo scrunches his brows together and Sehun looks at him expectantly. Kyungsoo almost wants to roll his eyes—Sehun is expecting Kyungsoo be kind and unlike a vampire. That is not the case and Kyungsoo should have done a better job at showing it. Kyungsoo can start now, but unfortunately, both Minseok and Yixing are busy. Carefully, Kyungsoo picks Chanyeol up off of Sehun’s shoulder and sets him down on one of his flowers instead. Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything but Chanyeol smiles up dimly at him anyway because Chanyeol understands.

 

“I’ll walk you out,” Kyungsoo sighs. He drops his current activities and goes towards Sehun’s side. “Make sure you don’t have anything behind.”

 

Kyungsoo eyes Sehun carefully. Sehun has his charm on his wrist, his military tag around his neck and his hawthorn blade tucked away. Kyungsoo can probably handle it, but he doesn’t really want to make a mess, especially because he had put in the effort to save Sehun in the first place. Sehun checks all three elements himself and nods in assurance.

 

“Lead the way?”

 

Kyungsoo nods and takes a careful step in front of Sehun. Kyungsoo doesn’t bother looking back, but to assure Kyungsoo that he does not mean to do any harm, Sehun catches right up and walks by Kyungsoo’s side. It doesn’t feel any different from their usual walk, so Kyungsoo allows his body to relax. Once the Fall Festival begins, Kyungsoo will not have any time to himself, so he’ll take the chance that he has now.

 

They walk in mostly silence. Kyungsoo hadn’t really set the rule but he doesn’t ever say much and Sehun has grown accustomed to it. Everything is familiar so Sehun follows, without realising that the path they have taken today varies considerably from the path that he has taken before. It’s only when Sehun can see the light of the sunset against the horizon that he realises that he is finally out of Gotjawal. Suddenly, it feels like it’s been a very long time since he has seen the sun.

 

“Then, this is where I’ll leave you,” Kyungsoo says and it seems to startle Sehun.

 

“Eh, you came out too?” Sehun asks once he spots a path and humans lingering along. “Is that okay?”

 

Kyungsoo raises a brow, looking around himself, “Why wouldn’t it be?”

 

This is a first for him too, walking in daylight with a human by his side. Technically, Kyungsoo is out of his depth because there are more of them than there are of his kind, but he doesn’t feel threatened. If Sehun hadn’t tried anything before, he probably won’t now. Minseok had laughed really loudly when Sehun said that white roses are safe and Kyungsoo has to agree. The chances of Sehun harming him are unlikely because Sehun has had many chances. Sehun had also protected Kyungsoo, who is a vampire, from a vampire in the first place. The memory still leaves Kyungsoo a little bit speechless.

 

“Wait a sec,” Sehun grins. “Come with me.”

 

Kyungsoo frowns, face scrunching up immediately and he takes a step back. “No.”

 

“Kyungsoo,” Sehun whines and reaches out to grab Kyungsoo by his arm.

 

Caught off guard, Kyungsoo’s eyes widen as he is dragged along. Sehun’s grip is tight around his wrist, even as he enters the little convenience store. Single-handedly, Sehun pushes open one of the fridges, grabs an ice-cream and pays at the counter. Kyungsoo shudders, wondering _why_ he’s being dragged along to this. All he needed to do was send Sehun out.

 

The old lady at the counter smiles brightly at the both of them. She asks all sorts of questions, about where they’re from and what they do, because she hasn’t seen them around at all. Sehun smiles politely as he hands over the cash, telling her that they’re visiting for a holiday and will be on their way back home now. She looks at Kyungsoo expectantly and he nods, just as Sehun saves him by waving goodbye and dragging him back outside. Sehun is adaptable and Kyungsoo is reminded that this is probably how hunters get by.

 

“Don’t run away okay,” Sehun says breaking the twin ice-creams in two, “This is my thanks.”

 

It breaks unevenly and Kyungsoo snickers into his hand, leaving Sehun dismayed. It is chocolate flavoured so Kyungsoo can see Sehun’s dilemma scribbled all over his face. It is fun to watch so Kyungsoo says nothing as Sehun stares between his hands, debating on whether or not he should keep the larger portion to himself. In the end, Sehun closes his eyes, putting the smaller one into his mouth and shoving the bigger portion into Kyungsoo’s hand.

 

“It’s good, okay!” Sehun says grudgingly.

 

Kyungsoo looks at the ice-cream in his hands and just stares at it. It doesn’t look all that appetising. Sehun on the other hand, shoves the thing into his mouth and chews at it, even though he complains about how cold it is and how it’s giving him a _brain freeze_ —whatever that is. Once Sehun is finished, Kyungsoo’s half is dripping and it causes him to frown. Kyungsoo glares at Sehun and when the chance arises, shoves the ice-cream into Sehun’s mouth. Sehun yelps around the block of ice and it makes Kyungsoo laugh.

 

“Bye now,” Kyungsoo says, turning his feet around. “Don’t come back. I won’t show you out next time.”

 

Sehun chases but Kyungsoo just shakes his head and disappears back into the darkness of the forest. Once Kyungsoo steps pass the barrier, he heaves a sigh of relief. For some reason, he feels really drained. He doesn’t done much either but interacting with Sehun and other humans on top of that is something else. Yixing catches him sighing as he enters and his eyes widen in surprise.

 

“Ah, you walked him out, Kyungsoo?”

 

Kyungsoo shrugs, “Chanyeol said he wasn’t feeling well.”

 

“Eh…” Yixing looks utterly confused, pointing to the kitchen, “But I just saw him… err… oh, nothing. I’ll go check up on him.”

 

“Yixing,” Kyungsoo warns in a low voice, “You stay right here.”

 

Yixing shifts his feet just a little but Kyungsoo’s glare sets him right on spot. Kyungsoo brushes pass Yixing to make his presence known in the kitchen. Chanyeol stares at him with wide eyes and mouth agape, the cookie falling right out of his mouth. Chanyeol’s lips begin to tremble in the sight of Kyungsoo’s malicious smile. Instead of reprimanding him with words, Kyungsoo picks up the cookie, puts it back into the jar and takes everything with him.

 

“Master…?” Chanyeol whimpers after him. “You’re not eating that are you?”

 

Kyungsoo gives him the silent treatment and walks very slowly away. Chanyeol follows, flying around him with a plea in his expression and in his soft spoken words. Kyungsoo walks all the way to the front door of the mansion, opens it wide and then stands there swinging his arms around as a warm up exercise. The gesture alone has Chanyeol nibbling on his nails in distress. Kyungsoo turns back to the pixie and smiles.

 

“Say your goodbyes,” Kyungsoo instructs.

 

However, just as Chanyeol begins to sob, Kyungsoo throws the jar of cookies across the sky, sending it out of the forest with all of his force. Chanyeol squeaks after it. Kyungsoo laughs with satisfaction and returns inside, letting the doors close behind him slowly, like how the curtains would close at the end of a show. Satisfied with the punishment Kyungsoo leaves Chanyeol there to sob over the lost cookies and returns to where Yixing is standing to free him from his position.

 

“I’m done,” Kyungsoo tells him. “You can go now.”

 

“Ah… yes,” Yixing pulls a smile right across his cheeks even though he’s feeling extremely sorry to Chanyeol about it. “I’ll make sure to talk to Chanyeol about that.”

 

“No need,” Kyungsoo waves dismissively. “Have you planned the trip yet?”

 

“Yes,” Yixing nods. “But Kyungsoo, I don’t really need—”

 

“Good,” Kyungsoo nods, a sigh of relief. No humans should be around to witness the end result of the Fall Festival. “Take Minseok with you,” Kyungsoo smirks, playful tone vibrating out of his throat and it’s enough to make Yixing blush. “All you two ever do is work.”

 

“But—”

 

“Don’t worry,” Kyungsoo assures him. “Jongdae and Lu Han will be here in your place.”

 

 

 

 

 

“How are the preparations for the Fall Festival?” Kyungsoo asks Minseok with a sigh.

 

Although Kyungsoo’s father is not directly involved in the preparations, his father had sent more people to Gotjawal to start preparing for the Fall Festival. It will cater to the whole of the Korean Vampire Society so it’s important that everything is perfect. Kyungsoo doesn’t want to engage with his fellow vampires and keeps most of his discussions to Minseok, who then passes on his demands to all the workers on board this project. It’s nice that Minseok complies with the request, allowing Kyungsoo time to slowly get to know his subjects.

 

“All is well,” Minseok supplies. “There aren’t any suspicious activities yet.”

 

Kyungsoo nods. Eventually, he had let Minseok in and that’s been helpful in many ways, but the main one is the stressor of having to pay attention to every little detail by himself. All the large families within the Korean Vampire Society have begun sending their lower ranking vampires to Kyungsoo’s manor to help out with whatever it is that they can. It’s with their help that the stands for the week of the Fall Festival are already up and ready to go, but Kyungsoo just can’t stand the crowd.

 

“Byulyi is coming on the weekend right?” Kyungsoo asks, moving through the paperwork. “Take some time out to spend it with her before you leave.”

 

“Yes Master.”

 

Kyungsoo smiles then and he hopes that Minseok and Yixing will have a safe trip away. Minseok does not need to stay for it. Minseok is a Nobel, despite always providing service to Kyungsoo. More importantly, Kyungsoo doesn’t need Minseok around. In place of Seungsoo, Minseok has become family, like a brother and if he were to stay, Kyungsoo might revert back to the child that he once was. Kyungsoo needs to refrain from crying and throwing a tantrum while asking for Minseok to free him of this duty, even when he knows that it’s impossible.

 

This year, it’s not only the Fall Festival that is happening. The most important thing about the Fall Festival this century is Kyungsoo’s coronation ceremony. After the Ball and the Fall Ceremony, Kyungsoo will climb the dead to take over the throne from his father and become the main player in the world between vampires and humans. It was meant to be for Seungsoo, but that has been passed down to Kyungsoo and he hasn’t been able to voice his dislike of it.

 

“You should take a break too, Master,” Minseok says, upon seeing Kyungsoo’s worn expression.

 

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo agrees, but picks up another bunch of letters to go through. “Let me know if anything changes.”

 

Minseok nods and then exits in silence. Once the door closes, Kyungsoo leans back against his chair and sighs. He’s starting to feel trapped within his own home, but now, he can’t even take a walk around the forest because there are vampires everywhere. Maybe, Kyungsoo could use some of that ice-cream, but only if the _brain freeze_ will help.

 

 

 

 

 

“It’s on _Jeju_?” Sehun barks out, surprised.

 

Sehun kicks the table by accident and Junmyeon throws half of his body over the table to steady their papers. Yifan throws him a glare for making a mess and Sehun clears his throat, apologising with a grunt. He’s been away for weeks and when he comes back, they throw work at him. Junmyeon had been worried, babying him in the process but Yifan had been stern, warning him off for getting into trouble on his own. They’re like polar opposite parents and Sehun appreciates the balance but he understands why Yifan is extra angry. They have an important mission at hand and Sehun should have been preparing for that instead of hanging out with Kyungsoo in his large but empty mansion.

 

“Apparently we have an inside source,” Yifan growls with disapproval. “I don’t get what the Board is thinking.”

 

Junmyeon gives Yifan’s shoulder a squeeze but doesn’t allow him to pout about it. Junmyeon takes out the map and pins it on the whiteboard. It’s already marked with the location of where all the other Hunting Squads will be. Upon closer inspection of the map of Jeju, the Squads are placed in arrangement so that they are surrounding Gotjawal.

 

“We’ll be here,” Junmyeon points with a red marker. “Did you manage to scout the surroundings?”

 

“Yes,” Sehun tells them, but doesn’t know how to explain it. “It’s a forest, hyung. There’s trees and you know, trees.”

 

Sehun isn’t lying but he doesn’t know how to explain it. Sehun had told Junmyeon about Kyungsoo’s charm but it had been useless because Sehun hadn’t managed to find the path. Kyungsoo had walked with him all the way out, so Sehun couldn’t figure out where the path started and ended. Kyungsoo had been cautious about it and now, it’s starting to fall into place. If that is the location of their raid, then of course, Kyungsoo would need to keep it safe. Perhaps, Kyungsoo had known about this too—he must be a Nobel that is close to the King.

 

“Here’s the list,” Junmyeon says, frowning.

 

It’s a hit list. Junmyeon never says it. Sehun had been told that Junmyeon does not like the sound of it but that’s exactly what it is. A lot of the time, they’re just rogues, but from the way that Junmyeon is acting about it, Sehun suspects that there is something more to it this time around. The list is a lengthy one and a lot of rogues have been identified, some Nobles too, but Kyungsoo’s name isn’t on that list. Sehun manages a sigh of relief but it doesn’t go unnoticed.

 

“What was that for?” Yifan asks, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.

 

“Oh…” Sehun looks up and forces a smile across his face. “This list is _long_.”

 

“It’s a big event,” Yifan explains with a huff. “The Board wants to make the best use of the opportunity.”

 

“The Fall Festival,” Sehun confirms. “It only comes once a century, right?”

 

Junmyeon nods, “We have to make the best use of this opportunity as possible.”

 

“It’s been approved by the Board _and_ the Vampire King?” Sehun asks again.

 

Junmyeon confirms it and Yifan nods too, but neither of them question the validity of that information. Sehun knows that they have always been against cooperating with the vampires, no matter how bad things have. Traditionally, vampires have dealt with their affairs and kept it away from the Board, even if, humans have been involved in the affair. The vampires at the top have always _shown_ results. Sehun doesn’t know what is different this time around, but it feels slightly unsettling.

 

“When are we moving out?” Sehun asks, pouting a little.

 

Sehun has just managed to get off of Jeju Island. He doesn’t want to be back so soon, especially since he has missed a lot of things about Seoul, namely, the chocolate, because Kyungsoo had been stingy about it. Sehun doesn’t even doubt that he had piqued Kyungsoo’s curiosity and that box of chocolate had been hidden in his room so that he could savour it slowly.

 

“A week,” Junmyeon tells him.

 

Sehun breaks into a grin, “Yes!”

 

At least Sehun will have some time to sneak out and play in Seoul—though Yifan and Junmyeon wants him to get back to work and train more. They’ve taken his time away as a vacation and Sehun doesn’t have the heart to dispute it. On Jeju with Kyungsoo, Sehun hadn’t been made to work at all. It’s hard for Sehun to lie to Junmyeon, so Sehun didn’t even try to lie.

 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo is wide awake, but he refuses to open his eyes. Instincts tell him that it’s better _not_ to, but the weight shifting every minute on his bed is starting to become irritating. So Kyungsoo refuses to face reality and pretends to sleep. He turns into his pillow and pulls the blanket over his head, wishing that everything around him would just disappear for a moment but—

 

“Master!” Jongdae greets brightly.

 

Kyungsoo groans, pushing Jongdae off his bed. “You’re early.”

 

“We missed you,” Lu Han lies to cover up for Jongdae’s mischief.

 

Kyungsoo acknowledges it though and replies that he’s missed them too. He says it sarcastically, but there is some truth in it. On Jeju Kyungsoo has Minseok and Yixing, but sometimes, when they’re in their own world, Kyungsoo can get lonely. With Jongdae and Lu Han, it’s a little bit different. When others aren’t around, they coddle Kyungsoo like a child. Even if they’re too absorbed in each other, they will always be loud enough to make Kyungsoo’s world a little livelier.

 

“You haven’t opened up the path yet?” Lu Han asks.

 

“You know I hate having early visitors,” Kyungsoo hisses back because they’re _way too_ _early_.

 

The window shows Kyungsoo emptiness and he appreciates it. However, if he ventures a little further out of his view, the forest will be filled with the colourful festival stands. It’s likely that test runs of the stands are happening right now. It’s probably loud out there so Kyungsoo opts to stay home where he knows that it will be quiet.

 

Jongdae jumps back onto Kyungsoo’s bed and cuts in, “Where’s Sehun?”

 

“I sent him home,” Kyungsoo waves dismissively, crawling out of bed, “There’s no reason for him to be here during the Fall Festival.”

 

“Isn’t it about time you found a human to—”

 

Kyungsoo glares and Lu Han’s hand flies up to cover Jongdae’s mouth immediately. Lu Han flashes Kyungsoo a bright smile as he drags Jongdae along. Lu Han makes sure to keep Jongdae’s mouth close but Kyungsoo knows that it won’t last for long. After all, Jongdae is the only one that knows how to use all of Lu Han’s weaknesses.

 

“We’re here to help,” Lu Han cuts in. “This will be an enormous. You should get all the sleep that you can.”

 

“And so you allowed Jongdae to wake me,” Kyungsoo smirks.

 

“That was…” Lu Han clears his throat. “I was cheated. I won’t let it happen again.”

 

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, _yeah right_. Lu Han will probably lose everything to Jongdae before he manages to admit his loss. But Kyungsoo appreciates the sentiment. During the Fall Festival which will last a whole week, Kyungsoo would have to meet and greet thousands of vampires. It’s tradition for him to greet them again, this time not as the Crown Prince, but as their new ruler. Kyungsoo picks up his pace and puts an arm around Jongdae’s shoulder, pulling him away from Lu Han momentarily.

 

“My Lord…?” Lu Han asks, confused.

 

Kyungsoo waves Lu Han’s worry away and pulls Jongdae a little further down the hall. Jongdae follows without any protest, wrapping an arm around Kyungsoo’s waist in return. As usual, Jongdae is overly affectionate and when Kyungsoo gives him the chance, he pushes his limits.

 

“What is it, My Lord?” Jongdae questions airily, “What can your humble servant do for you?”

 

Kyungsoo smirks and gestures Jongdae to come a little closer. Jongdae looks at him curiously and leans forward, face close to Kyungsoo’s and he smirks too. Kyungsoo laughs a little and leans towards Jongdae’s ear, whispering like the devil, an evil plan that only Jongdae can implement. When he pulls away, Jongdae’s eyes are gleaming brightly with mischief.

 

“Of course,” Jongdae says, crossing his right arm over his waist and bowing, “My Lord.”

 

Jongdae runs off in a world of his own then and Lu Han looks between them curiously. Lu Han is about to chase but Kyungsoo pulls him back by the collar. He gives Lu Han a knowing look and Lu Han straightens immediately to embody all the seriousness that he can gather. They still need to discuss a solid counter plan to the Board’s proposal and, at the same time watch out of the members of the Resistance group that will be showing up for the Fall Festival.

 

 

 

 

 

Only on the fourth day of the festival does Lu Han notice the plan. He comes storming into Kyungsoo’s library and yanks the lid of Kyungsoo’s coffin open with a great amount of fury that Kyungsoo hasn’t seen in a long while. The sight flags Kyungsoo’s senses to danger and he sits up for the challenge. It’s instinctive for the both of them and Lu Han is the first to back down in terms of force, but his tone remains stern and even.

 

“Kyungsoo.”

 

Kyungsoo acknowledges Lu Han with a smile, “Yes?”

 

Lu Han looks a bit upset at the response and Kyungsoo just smiles wider. Lu Han paces around Kyungsoo’s library and Kyungsoo sighs, getting out of the coffin. He should relieve some of Lu Han’s stress.

 

“No one has notice,” Kyungsoo reasons. “It’s not a problem right?”

 

“That’s not the problem here,” Lu Han argues. “Do you really want your reputation to be ruled by the things that Jongdae is doing during this week?”

 

Kyungsoo manages to conceal his amused chuckle. He has been aware of everything that Jongdae has done this week. Decked out in Kyungsoo’s royal robes, Jongdae has been having a blast, commanding all the vampires to play tricks on one another. Kyungsoo has been watching with amusement but Lu Han does have a valid point.

 

“If it’s so bad you should have noticed earlier,” Kyungsoo retorts, yawning. “And you’re the one that said I should get some more rest.”

 

“You’re the same build!” Lu Han argues, throwing his hands into the air. “And you can get your rest! Just show up for five minutes a day! You let Jongdae take on your role _and_ run around making a mess every single day this week!”

 

“You said that to Jongdae?” Kyungsoo frowns at Lu Han. They both know what Jongdae’s wrath can be like. “I wouldn’t have done that if I were you.”

 

Lu Han raises a brow, “I’m the one that should be pissed off.”

 

“Oh?” Kyungsoo lowers his head and smirks now that Lu Han has taken the bait. “And Jongdae’s not because you’ve been together for so long and you couldn’t even recognise that it was him?”

 

Lu Han’s blanches visibly and Kyungsoo bites down on his lips to avoid laughing out loud in response. Lu Han clears his throat then and pulls away, mumbling a quick _excuse me_ under his breath before he rushes out of Kyungsoo’s library to find Jongdae and make amends. Now, Kyungsoo is happy to get back to work.

 

Revenge operation status: success.

 

 

 

 

 

“What kind of festival is this,” Sehun mumbles, pulling his binoculars away. “The forest is quiet as.”

                                                                                      

“There are humans living on the Island,” Junmyeon explains. He takes the binoculars away so that he can use them instead, “Of course they wouldn’t disturb the people. That’s just asking for trouble.”

 

Sehun hums as he jumps into the moon chair and swings on it. Junmyeon stares through the binoculars despite not being able to see anything. Junmyeon is probably pondering on what he has to do to get them in there. Junmyeon’s abilities of Black Magic are to be feared but right now it’s not important. Sehun keeps Junmyeon mellow and distracts Junmyeon with his lingering presence.

 

“Sehun,” Junmyeon clears his throat eventually. “Stop bothering me.”

 

“What’s wrong with Junmyeon hyung?” Sehun mouths in Yifan’s direction.

 

Yifan glances over Junmyeon’s crouched form and stares for a moment before he turns back to Sehun with a clueless expression. Sehun raises a brow and Yifan shrugs, moving on with a cup of coffee. Yifan places the cup on the small desk next to where Junmyeon is seated and moves on. Sehun throws the empty box of tissue at him, but Yifan just shrugs, _I’m not going to dig my own grave_.

 

“Huh… wait,” Junmyeon pipes up, moving close to the window, even though he’s already got the binoculars. “Is that Kim Jongin?”

 

_That_ gets Yifan’s attention. Yifan drops his own cup of coffee and rushes over, pushing Junmyeon aside to grab onto the binoculars. Sehun is left to clean up the mess, while absently tuning into Junmyeon and Yifan’s hushed conversation. It’s something normal and they always tell him about it in the end so Sehun doesn’t try too hard to listen in.

 

“Change of plans,” Junmyeon announces. “We have to find and add Jongin’s Sire to the list.”

 

Sehun freezes, dropping the pieces of the cup he had just managed to collect. It had slipped his mind so he hadn’t mentioned it but he has a feeling he knows the vampire that sired Jongin. It could be either Kyungsoo or Minseok—probably Kyungsoo because only Nobles and Royals have the blood to turn someone. The thought alone scares Sehun because it doesn’t make any sense to be killing someone who had saved him.

 

“Why?” Sehun blurts out.

 

“I heard this from my father,” Yifan interrupts to provide information that Sehun still doesn’t know. “The Board suspected at the time that Jongin was serving, that he was falling for a vampire. They’d tried to stop him but then he went missing and the rest, you should know.”

 

Sehun nods. After his review of the information, it had stuck more closely to his memory. The Board and Jongin’s Squad had thought that Jongin has been dead. Sehun found out that it wasn’t true during his stay at Kyungsoo’s home but he didn’t think the issue was so big. Neither Chanyeol nor Minseok mentioned that Kyungsoo had _sired_ Jongin but that can be the only thing left.

 

“He’s a vampire _and_ he’s alive,” Junmyeon reasons. “We have orders to bring Jongin back. We probably won’t be able to handle him as a vampire.”

 

“But he’s an impressive hunter as is,” Sehun argues in response because he’s heard all about the legendary Kim Jongin. “I don’t think that’s going to work with just the three of us.”

 

“That’s the _ideal_ plan,” Yifan interrupts. “I don’t think it’s likely to happen. Jongin has been walking with them for nearly a century. The Board wants all the information that they can get, but I doubt he’s still on our side.”

 

“We have another problem,” Junmyeon says suddenly.

 

Junmyeon and Yifan exchange a secret glance, even though Sehun is sitting in between them. It’s like they expect him to turn a blind eye—but they don’t even give him the chance to ask. Once they have finished communicating, they are both up on their feet. Yifan grabs his jacket draped across the couch and Junmyeon is slipping into his shoes.

 

“Um… hyung?” Sehun almost wants to whine because his hot chocolate is still sitting on the stove.

 

“We’re moving out,” Junmyeon instructs.

 

Yifan flicks his forehead gently, “Don’t drag our feet okay, maknae?”

 

 

 

 

 

The Ball is the nicest part of the whole week. It’s also the quietest part of the week. A lot of the vampires that have come to attend the festivities this week have left. They started with an attendance number in thousands, but it has dropped significantly. The only ones remaining behind are those that need to attend the Ball. Kyungsoo has been keeping an eye out and he is worried about the dropping numbers. He cannot tell if the Nobles are heading home because they don’t need to be here, or if they are leaving for another reason.

 

The members of large estates like the Sungkyu Manor, Doojoon Manor and Joohyun Manor have stayed behind, but they have every few turned vampires with them. Jieun had given Kyungsoo her greetings early on with a present for Kyungsoo’s coronation and then left for him, taking all of those under her protection with her. The ones remaining mostly come from the list that Kyungsoo had gathered about the potential Resistance members. The information alone confirms nothing. Only when the night falls, will Kyungsoo know what is actually happening.

 

They have packed up the festival stands and everyone has moved into Kyungsoo’s manor for the final event of the Fall Festival. The Ball is the biggest event of the week. Everyone engages in dancing, behind masks and beautifully sown clothing. Kyungsoo thinks it’s a nice picture about to be painted red, like he had seen often, behind the stage when his father was the one leading it.

 

As per tradition, Kyungsoo walks around the ballroom with the masquerade mask on to conceal his identity. For this part of the Fall Festival, everyone is free from discrimination and Kyungsoo feels uneasy about it this year. The Resistance group has been rather quiet—even though some of their supposed members are here tonight. They didn’t have that dangerous feel about them either. Even when they had first arrived, they had been completely respectful, greeting Kyungsoo on their knees and asking for his grace for the next century. Kyungsoo had played along, allowing Jongdae to laugh then and then some more in Kyungsoo’s private quarters.

 

Kyungsoo couldn’t put a finger on it, but it makes sense that the Resistance keep their activity low at this time. On Jeju, there are very few humans to hunt for blood and for their purposes it’s pointless to start here. But Kyungsoo feels more worried about the Board in general. He had declined their proposal, saying that he will take care of it himself—a method his father had often resorted to—and they had argued back and forth about it. The Board had finally settled, but it didn’t feel much like they meant it. Kyungsoo had no way of varying it because he has been short on time.

 

The whole week had been peaceful, but—

 

“Crown Prince.”

 

Kyungsoo stops in his path and turns back around. Only Baekhyun calls him that and it is only because Baekhyun comes from a family of Commons. Kyungsoo’s father had saved Baekhyun when he was young and allowed him to be Kyungsoo’s friend. Unfortunately Kyungsoo never saw Baekhyun as a friend.

 

“How have you been?” Baekhyun asks, smirking beneath his mask.

 

Kyungsoo slips his hand into Baekhyun’s, allowing Baekhyun to take lead of the dance. His mind is slightly occupied but he plays along because he doesn’t need to draw the attention to himself yet. Kyungsoo has had it all of this week and he will have it again when the final dance ends, but for now, he just wants to slip through the crowd.

 

“Fine,” Kyungsoo replies. “Don’t beat around the bush. I know what you need.”

 

“So cold,” Baekhyun whines, pulling Kyungsoo to the right, “We grew up together you know.”

 

It’s _Jongin_. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and kicks Baekhyun in the shin. Kyungsoo takes the chance to escape and changes partners because he cannot stand that side of Baekhyun. Baekhyun should know that he doesn’t have to offer anything for Kyungsoo to complete the agreement that he had already promised, but Baekhyun seems to have forgotten the kind of person that Kyungsoo is. It’s a little disappointing, but Kyungsoo doesn’t have any room to dwell on it tonight.

 

“Master.”

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t like to hear Jongin’s voice. He’s glad that he’s managed to avoid the both of them during the week (thanks to Jongdae) but he knew he couldn’t avoid it tonight. A century ago, Jongin as a hunter had come for Kyungsoo’s life but there had been Baekhyun and that, changed everything. Baekhyun might think that Kyungsoo should be grateful, but if it weren’t for Baekhyun, Jongin wouldn’t be here in the first place so Kyungsoo considers them to be even.

 

“Shh,” Kyungsoo hisses, snaking his arm around Jongin’s waist and pulling him a little closer. “Make it quick.”

 

Jongin’s sharp bite stings but it’s nothing Kyungsoo cannot handle. A drop is enough so Kyungsoo pulls away as soon as Jongin has had his share. It’s always a little risky to share royal blood so Kyungsoo only feeds Jongin the amount that he needs. As soon as Kyungsoo out of Jongin’s reach, he runs his fingers across his neck to close the wound. There are probably more than a hundred hungry vampires in the Ballroom and it’s just not safe to be shedding blood, but Kyungsoo hasn’t had any other chances to renew Jongin’s favour.

 

Immediately, Kyungsoo is scooped into another embrace. This time, it’s familiar and Kyungsoo almost _laughs_ because Byulyi is decked out in a full suit instead of a dress. Kyungsoo is pleasantly surprised. He doesn’t know why Byulyi is still here, but she wraps an arm around Kyungsoo’s waist too and pulls him along.

 

“I thought you were leaving,” Kyungsoo whispers.

 

“No way,” Byulyi giggles. “Seeing as Minseok oppa isn’t here, I have to take you out to play!”

 

“Not today,” Kyungsoo chides. “If he had known, he wouldn’t have left.”

 

Byulyi scowls, pinching Kyungsoo’s cheek. “Being around oppa all the time has made you stuffy.”

 

“Hey,” Kyungsoo frowns. “Show your elders some respect.”

 

Byulyi pulls a wide grin across her face, being playful. She keeps Kyungsoo for a long time and only when the music slows does she close the gap between them. Kyungsoo sways to the music as Byulyi rests her head against his shoulder, lowering her voice to a barely audible whisper.

 

“Is Yongsun unni okay?”

 

Kyungsoo nods once with a side step.

 

“Okay,” Byulyi sighs in relief. “I’ve also done as you’ve asked and kept all the vampires that we’ve sired. Once the festival is over I will hand them over to you for questioning.”

 

“Thanks,” Kyungsoo says in response and gives Byulyi’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “Go home quickly. Don’t stay for the Fall Ceremony.”

 

Once Byulyi agrees to Kyungsoo’s request, he pulls himself away from her and begins shifting through the crowd again. Kyungsoo manages to steal a glimpse of the clock at the centre of the hall and slips away from the centre of the dance floor to the corner of it to make his exit easier. When it hits midnight, the chime in the ballroom rings loudly to inform everyone that the week will soon be over. It’s an announcement that brings back many memories, but Kyungsoo moves away from the dance floor and towards the stage. Lu Han and Jongdae who have dressed in code, look up at him and nod accordingly. They walk towards the door and open it up, instructing for those that want to leave to exit right now.

 

The vampires that stay are mostly those that have been sired by the Nobles or the Royals. Sometimes, Commons or Halves will stay too, so that they can go together with those whose time has run out. Once everyone has left, Jongdae and Lu Han give Kyungsoo a quick nod, before they close the doors and leave him there. Kyungsoo heaves a soft sight and run his eyes across the crowd that he has left. There aren’t a large number of vampires but it’s substantial enough to make this experience overwhelming for Kyungsoo.

 

Kyungsoo exhales again and takes another glance over the dance floor. There are probably more than a hundred vampires left here tonight. There are a range of types here tonight but as expected, there are no Nobles, only Halves, Commons and those that have been sired. Even though it is not their fate, the Halves and Commons are staying so that Kyungsoo can send them off with their loved ones. Kyungsoo has to commend those that have _chosen_ to stay but he doesn’t sympathise with them.

 

“The Fall Ceremony will now begin,” Kyungsoo instructs. “Remove your masks.”

 

 

 

 

 

Junmyeon had been magnificent at getting them in. Junmyeon had set up a barrier over the one that was already there so that the vampires won’t notice a difference when he breaks their barrier. Sehun and Yifan had been a little worried but Junmyeon had completed the task magnificently. The moment that that barrier goes down, all the Squads dispatched and Sehun could see a large mansion in the middle of the forest instead of the little cottage that Sehun knew had been there.

 

“What—”

 

“Shh,” Yifan hisses, jabbing Sehun’s ribs.

 

Sehun jabs him back but remains silent as he watches from afar. Slowly, the forest becomes lively. A large group of vampires begin exiting the mansion, filling up the front yard. It’s no longer a cottage and Sehun wonders if he has just made everything about Kyungsoo up. The vampires continue swarming out and it’s the most Sehun has ever seen in numbers. They are all masked and dressed festively. A lot of vampires remain lingering but there are a few that leave too.

 

“We don’t have to go after them?” Sehun asks.

 

“The other squads will take care of it,” Yifan assures. “We’re here to deal with the majority.”

 

Sehun looks around for the three that he has been living with for the past few months but he cannot spot them behind their masks. There’s no figure that looks the same either. Kyungsoo is definitely not in sight because Sehun has learnt the shape of his back from all the walks that they have taken together. Sehun finds it curious that everyone is moving into an aligned position. At the corner of the door, Sehun can see a gold crown and his eyes widen.

 

“It’s a Coronation Ceremony?” Sehun hisses from behind the bushes.

 

“Sehun,” Junmyeon hisses. “Shut up for a second.”

 

Yifan drags Sehun forward and reminds him not to drag their feet. There’s a buzzing in his ears as the instructions come through microphone. Sehun nods instinctively even though the Board cannot see him. Everything is eerie. Even though the forest is now filled and lively with a range of colours, it remains quiet. Every single vampire is silent as they keep their heads lowered in waiting.

 

Sehun yawns as the night continues to go on. It’s eerily silent and Sehun feels like he’s going to fall asleep. When the door finally opens, it opens with a creak but Sehun is nodding off. Yifan knocks into him and throws him a glare that has him sharpening again. Sehun flashes a sheepish smile and wipes away with drool with his sleeve.

 

“Sorry,” Sehun mumbles.

 

Sehun clears his throat and looks back up. From inside, it is Kyungsoo that exits. He is alone, without Yixing or Minseok at his side. Kyungsoo’s footsteps are steady and the air around him is heavy, but he doesn’t look out of place. Kyungsoo may look worn, but the unmoving expression on his face makes him fit in. Kyungsoo’s face is smeared with layers of fresh blood that drips onto his clothing but he does nothing about it—clearly, it doesn’t bother him. Sehun gasps quietly into his hands and watches as Kyungsoo walk towards the end of the steps and then, two attendants coming forward with a tray that carries a crown. It’s clear as day, that that crown is meant for Kyungsoo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Standing on the stage, Kyungsoo looks down and clenches his fists tightly clenched as he watches the sired vampire turn into dust. The sobbing that comes for those that are dying again come from the Halves and Commons. They don’t have to face the same fate, but they have chosen to stay so that Kyungsoo can send them away to rejoin their loved ones. Kyungsoo had hoped that there wouldn’t be any that he would have to personally kill, but history has shown that it’s unlikely to happen. This is a part of the initiation process for Kyungsoo to become the new King. Kyungsoo needs to exert power and take the lives of his fellow vampires so that he can climb his way to the throne.

 

Once the ashes have covered the intricate design of the ballroom dance floor, Kyungsoo takes carefully steps down from the stage. He joins the rest of the vampires on the dance floor but stands in the innermost circle of the bunch. All the remaining vampires bow in Kyungsoo’s direction and Kyungsoo nods in return for their gesture. His father usually says something but Kyungsoo is not his father so he doesn’t have anything to give them as a parting gift.

 

All he does is start chanting the spell so that they can rejoin their loved ones soon. It’s a lengthy spell everyone is nervous. If Kyungsoo messes up, they might have to start again, but if Kyungsoo does it wrong, everyone, including those outside will perish. However, Kyungsoo has been working on memorising it for this day. Kyungsoo is lucky to get to the end of the spell on his first attempt. The vampires still inside the smile at him, as the intricate lines beneath their feet light up to take away their lives.

 

Once the spell’s effect is over, the ballroom returns to its normal state of calm. Kyungsoo stands in middle of the blood bath and heaves a sigh. Watching the Fall Ceremony from behind the curtains and doing it himself gives Kyungsoo a completely different feeling. Kyungsoo’s hands are trembling but his heart remains incredibly still. It’s only once a century. He can probably manage to hold onto his throne when the next century rolls around.

 

Every century, there’s the Fall Festival and then, the Fall Ceremony, where literally, a quarter of their population die in his Ballroom. It’s an absolutely disgusting ceremony that Kyungsoo wishes to get rid of—mostly for himself—but he probably couldn’t bear it either, if he didn’t send vampires off properly and left them to be taken by hunters. That is Kyungsoo’s intentions—it hasn’t always been that way in the Royal Family. Historically, it had been a reiteration of the power of the pure bloodline.

 

Once all is silent, Kyungsoo bites down on his lips, exhales a deep sigh and makes his way out of the dance hall and down the stairs towards the front door. Outside, Kyungsoo can hear the murmurs but it’s mostly quite as they wait for him so that they can crown him the new King now that he’s had his very first taste of the fall. Kyungsoo swallows deeply as he pushes the door open to bare himself before the masses. They don’t exactly cheer but do, fall immediately to their knees.

 

Kyungsoo darts his eyes over the crowd and then finally, over to Jongdae and Lu Han who are ready to crown him. Kyungsoo keeps his head held high and his expression blank. As the new ruler, Kyungsoo cannot show weakness. Jongdae’s warnings to him apply now, more than ever. As his father had often done before him, Kyungsoo straightens his back and pulls a firm smirk across his lips. It is all for show, but Kyungsoo can convince his subjects and himself at the same time.

 

Lu Han holds the tray that carries the Crown and Jongdae walks beside him up to it. Kyungsoo doesn’t expect it from them, but they’re both frowning. Kyungsoo wants to scoff at it because his advisors, better than anyone else knew that Kyungsoo couldn’t get out of it. Once Seungsoo was gone, Kyungsoo’s fate had been sealed.

 

“Kyungsoo,” Lu Han whispers softly, grip tight on the velvet covered tray.

 

Kyungsoo bites down on his lips to refrain from giving in. Kyungsoo is no longer a child. Seungsoo is no longer here to listen to Kyungsoo whine and Lu Han and Jongdae shouldn’t be punished because of him. Keeping a sigh from leaving his mouth, Kyungsoo closes his eyes and ignores everything else around him. It’s mostly silence; give for the rustling of the leaves whenever the wind blows. Kyungsoo concedes and lowers his head a little, an action to prompt Jongdae to the crown. Although he cannot see it, Kyungsoo can feel Jongdae throwing Lu Han a concerned look.

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t have the words to console them though. The image from the hall remains and Kyungsoo will have to relive it again and again once he puts the crown on. It’s something that he has long accepted. However, the ceremony stops when gunfire startles everyone to a halt. Kyungsoo bites down on his lips because he _knew_ something would happen tonight. He’s prepared for it—Lu Han has sent a lot of their vampires out to scout the area—that’s probably why there had been gunfire in the first place. However, Kyungsoo knows that this little interruption won’t free him from his duty.

 

Kyungsoo falls into formation with Jongdae and Lu Han immediately. The vampires around them too, are on guard. Kyungsoo throws Lu Han a quick look, raising the right brow to question news about the Resistance and Lu Han shakes his head immediately. It must be the Board then. Exhaling the nerves in his system away, Kyungsoo looks at both Lu Han and Jongdae, nodding in approval for the fight that they’ll have to face. The struggle breaks out faster than anything Kyungsoo has seen in centuries. Kyungsoo had said it before but there won’t be any uncontrolled rogues at the Fall Festival. Kyungsoo hasn’t permitted their attendance unless they were coming for the Fall Ceremony. The Board had not believed his words. This means that their treaty is for nought.

 

But more importantly, a lot of the names that have been associated with the Resistance are fleeing the premises. Kyungsoo trusts Lu Han and Jongdae on dealing with the Board so he gives chase for one of the vampires that he suspects to be a member. Unfortunately, he is stopped there too, when a hunter stands in front of him asking for close combat battle. Kyungsoo jerks back in reaction and clicks his tongue in annoyance.

 

“Kim Junmyeon?”

 

Like Sehun who wields a hawthorn blade, Junmyeon is good at close combat and Black Magic. If Junmyeon is here, it means that Yifan and Sehun are too. Out of the three Kyungsoo finds Junmyeon a troublesome opponent and would like to avoid the fight, but can’t see any way out until Jongin and Baekhyun jump into the space that stands between Kyungsoo and Junmyeon.

 

“Not so fast, hunter,” Baekhyun smirks. “That’s our Crown Prince you’re aiming for.”

 

“Against policy at that,” Jongin adds.

 

“Times have changed,” Junmyeon retorts. “Wouldn’t you know, Kim Jongin?”

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t bother thanking Baekhyun or Jongin for intervening. He knows that they are doing this for their own best interest. Taking the chance to make his escape, Kyungsoo turns back around to continue his chase of the Resistance group. There’s no guarantee that the vampires that Byulyi will turn over to him will be helpful. Kyungsoo needs to get his hands on one of the vampires that Howon had mentioned.

 

However, when Kyungsoo finally regains his ground, the background of Gotjawal is ablaze. There is no way that hunters would have set the whole forest on fire. It’s a human resource and, vampires don’t fear fire. Hunters would have more a problem getting out of a fire than vampires. It can only be an act done by the Resistance. It looks like the Resistance group have been well aware of the Board’s suspicions and activity—even more so than Kyungsoo. It might mean that they have a more reliable source of information than Yongsun is—but then again, the Board might be wary of Yongsun because of what she is constantly promoting.

 

“Kyungsoo! Pay attention!”

 

A body lunges at him and Kyungsoo groans in pain when he tries to get up. The scent that is Sehun waffles through the air and Kyungsoo’s eyes widen in surprise. Sehun is shielding him right now and once again, the hunter is standing between him and a vampire—not a rogue this time but a vampire nonetheless.

 

“Move,” Kyungsoo demands, flinging Sehun aside. “Lee Gikwang. Was that an assassination attempt?”

 

“Well,” Gikwang frowns twisting his wrists. “It wasn’t the first.”

 

Kyungsoo narrows his eyes.

 

“Seungsoo wasn’t so lucky,” Gikwang hums, “Tell me, how did you manage to survive a century ago? And this time too?”

 

Catching Kyungsoo off guard at the mention of Seungsoo, Gikwang takes the chance and strikes again with a leisurely smile dancing on his lips. Kyungsoo manages to back up in time, but that spell he had chanted for the Fall Ceremony is now starting to take a toll on his body. This wasn’t an after effect that Kyungsoo had anticipated, but it seems like Lu Han and Jongdae have. They are now back by his side and smiling just as gleefully as Gikwang is. Kyungsoo can sense their excitement for a good fight. _Idiots_.

 

“Is Sehun safe?” Lu Han asks, taking a step back and leaving Jongdae to deal with Gikwang for the time being.

 

“What?” Kyungsoo replies confused. “I don’t—”

 

“If he’s safe, you should go with him for the time being,” Lu Han continues. “He saved you just now didn’t he?”

 

Kyungsoo shakes his head, “You know I can’t leave.”

 

“Kyungsoo,” Lu Han repeats sternly, “This isn’t the time to be stubborn.”

 

“Lu Han—”

 

“You said that it’s not a place to bound,” Sehun yells. Kyungsoo turns instinctively to glare but he finds Sehun’s hands outstretched for him to take. “So why can’t you leave?”

 

_Of course that had been a lie_ , Kyungsoo wants to shout at Sehun. Kyungsoo could easily break the maze that he had created around his home but it doesn’t mean that he was free from it. Ever since they lost Seungsoo, Kyungsoo had been bound. Aside from choices that Kyungsoo makes about his meals there is nothing else that is within his control. Everything that Kyungsoo does has a rippling effect—it changes everything around him, for all those vampires that are around him. He has to be careful about it.

 

“Kyungsoo!” Sehun shouts, “Stop hesistating.”

 

There’s really no time to hear Sehun—everything has broken out in the background. There’s a war going on between his subjects and the hunters. It’s not the time, but even amongst all the bloodshed, Sehun is clearly there and his voice the loudest, that outstretched hand the closest. Kyungsoo is hesitant to reach out, but that means that Kyungsoo is already half-way there.

 

“Go!” Jongdae demands as Lu Han rushes over to push. “We’ll contact you.”

 

“I’ll make sure to get Lee Gikwang good for Lord Seungsoo,” Lu Han promises.

 

But Kyungsoo takes the step even before Lu Han’s hands reaches him. Sehun takes his offered hand and pulls despite all the protest that is going on the background. Kyungsoo has been hearing it for a while—Junmyeon slapping his forehead, Yifan hissing _no you idiot!_ and others, within the Hunting Squads wailing at Sehun’s alleged stupidity. Kyungsoo would have to agree but he cannot conceal the little smile dancing on his lips.

 

 

 

 

 

It’s kind of late when Kyungsoo registers exactly what he had done. Kyungsoo snaps out of a daze when he realises that he’s sitting in the train with the open window and the wind smacking some sense right back into him. His eyes blow open wide and Sehun, noticing, places a hand on top of his and squeezes it. Sighing, Kyungsoo pulls away and sets his sight into the distance—his hands are probably the dirtiest things about him.

 

Kyungsoo heaves a breathless sigh. He hopes that Lu Han and Jongdae are okay and that Byulyi had gotten away safely before the fight had broken out. Now that he thinks about it, there is also Minseok and Yixing to consider. He hopes they don’t come back. Kyungsoo probably can’t go back either. His father might be on a hunt for him now too, but—

 

“Calm down,” Sehun says, cradling his face now and knocking his forehead lightly against Kyungsoo’s, “You didn’t look anything on those doorsteps today. It was kind of scary.”

 

Kyungsoo flinches at the mention—he had thought that he had it under control. Even though Sehun had gotten him a change of clothes, the odour of blood still clings to his senses. Kyungsoo had witnessed it many times during his father’s ruling and he knew that one day, he would bathe in it, but the reality had been much harsher than he expected. Their fallen, are truly a pitiful bunch and there was nothing, he could do as their King to fix that. Instead, Kyungsoo had stepped on them so that he could wear that golden crown.

 

“What happened in there?” Sehun asks quietly, so that Kyungsoo has the chance to ignore it.

 

Kyungsoo hears it and looks up. How can Sehun _not_ know? Isn’t that why they had planned to attack on that day? Or, do hunters get told nothing these days?

 

“Do you not know?” Kyungsoo scoffs. “What the Fall Festival is?”

 

Sehun swallows visibly shaking, “I… I’ve been taught that it’s a celebration. Like… what was happening. Your…” He pauses there, like he hasn’t quite registered it yet. “For your Coronation.”

 

That is true but there’s more to the Fall Festival than that. What they never outright say, is that it’s a festival of death. They always hold the Festival near the end of autumn to cover it up but the Board probably caught on. Kyungsoo has a lot that he wants to ask Sehun too, but he doesn’t think that the answers will satisfy him. With how little Sehun knows already, it’s clear that he was probably just on orders to hunt rogues as he had told Kyungsoo before.

 

“The Fall Festival,” Kyungsoo begins to explain because it’s always been common knowledge. “Is exactly what it sounds like. A lot of sired vampires die during this time.”

 

Sehun stares at Kyungsoo to contemplate the issue but before he can ask, Kyungsoo has made up his mind on another matter. Kyungsoo had been impulsive about it, but no matter how much he thinks about it, Kyungsoo has to return. The air had been good for him but now, Kyungsoo has to return to reality.

 

“We’ll separate after this,” Kyungsoo clears his throat. “I have to get back.”

 

There are too many things that he didn’t think through when he had grabbed hold of Sehun’s hands. Kyungsoo has too many people to consider and he had forgotten about them in his momentary panic. He needs to go back and set order to things before everything falls apart.

 

“I have a letter for you,” Sehun announces and he sounds oddly confident that it will change Kyungsoo’s mind. “Read it first.”

 

Sehun slides a piece of paper across the table that sits between them on the train and Kyungsoo raises a brow. Sehun smiles to tell Kyungsoo that it is safe. Kyungsoo takes into his hands and looks at it curiously. He flips it over twice, but there’s nothing on it. Sighing, Kyungsoo places it down on the table and holds his hand out in front of Sehun.

 

“What?”

 

“Just a little,” Kyungsoo says, carefully. “One small cut.”

 

Although worried, Sehun does as he is asked. He pulls the hawthorn blade across Kyungsoo’s finger and winces, even though Kyungsoo doesn’t register the pain inflicted by a small wound. Kyungsoo drips a drop of his blood onto the piece of paper and watches as the red disappears into blue ink show up on the page.

 

_Minseok will be informed. Stay with Sehun for the time being. We’ll contact you again when we’re ready to implement plan C._

 

Sehun smirks, “Looks like you’re stuck with me, Kyungsoo.”

 

Kyungsoo scowls, scrunching the paper in his hands and says, _no_ even though he knows, that Jongdae and Lu Han haven’t left him with any other choices.

 

“It’s going to be great,” Sehun hums happily ignoring him, “I can teach you about all the wonders of chocolate.”

 

_Fin._


End file.
